إبل

See also: أبل, أتل, and اتل

Arabic

Etymology

The root ء ب ل (ʔ-b-l) else but contains terms plausibly denominative from this word for camels; the animal name, as well as the raincloud-name reminiscing وَبْل (wabl, “heavy-dropped rain”), must be connected to Proto-Semitic *wabal- (“to carry, to bear”) also of restricted Arabic use in the root formula و ب ل (w-b-l), with glottal stop as أُهْبَة (ʔuhba, “gear, accoutrement”). In Classical Syriac one finds ܐܒܠܬܐ (ʾabbāltā, ʾebbaltā, ʾebbāltā, “a herd or caravan of camels”), accounting for its vocalism probably a separate derivation of this sense, whereas the Arabic unusual measure of إِبِل (ʔibil) is inflated by a prop vowel^[1] from an original pattern as in animal names like عِجْل (ʕijl) and حِسْل (ḥisl).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ʔi.bil/

Noun

إِبِل • (ʔibil) f (collective, plural آبَال (ʔābāl))

(collective) camels
a. 965, اَلْمُتَنَبِّي [al-mutanabbī], “لَا خَيْلَ عِنْدَكَ تُهْدِيهَا وَلَا مَالُ [lā ḵayla ʕindaka tuhdīhā walā mālu]”, in عَبْد الرَّحْمٰن اَلْبُرْقُوقِيّ [ʕabd ar-raḥmān al-burqūqiyy], شَرْح دِيوَان اَلْمُتَنَبِّي [šarḥ dīwān al-mutanabbī], part 3, Beirut, Lebanon: دَار اَلْكِتَاب اَلْعَرَبِيّ [dār al-kitāb al-ʕarabiyy], published 1980, page 402:
تَجْرِي النُّفُوسُ حَوَالَيْهِ مُخَلَّطَةً / مِنْهَا عُدَاةٌ وَأَغْنَامٌ وَآبَالُ
tajrī n-nufūsu ḥawālayhi muḵallaṭatan / minhā ʕudātun waʔaḡnāmun waʔābālu
(please add an English translation of this quotation)
(collective, obsolete) rain clouds
- 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 88:17-19:
  أَفَلَا يَنْظُرُونَ إِلَى ٱلْإِبِلِ كَيْفَ خُلِقَتْ
  وَإِلَى ٱلسَّمَآءِ كَيْفَ رُفِعَتْ
  وَإِلَى ٱلْجِبَالِ كَيْفَ نُصِبَتْ
  ʔafalā yanẓurūna ʔilā l-ʔibili kayfa ḵuliqat
  waʔilā s-samaʔāʔi kayfa rufiʕat
  waʔilā l-jibāli kayfa nuṣibat
  Then do they not look unto the rainy clouds^[2] – how they are created? And the sky, how it has been raised? And the mountains how they have been set up?

Declension

Declension of noun إِبِل (ʔibil)

Singular	basic singular triptote
Singular	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	إِبِل ʔibil	الْإِبِل al-ʔibil	إِبِل ʔibil
Nominative	إِبِلٌ ʔibilun	الْإِبِلُ al-ʔibilu	إِبِلُ ʔibilu
Accusative	إِبِلًا ʔibilan	الْإِبِلَ al-ʔibila	إِبِلَ ʔibila
Genitive	إِبِلٍ ʔibilin	الْإِبِلِ al-ʔibili	إِبِلِ ʔibili
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	إِبِلَيْن ʔibilayn	الْإِبِلَيْن al-ʔibilayn	إِبِلَيْ ʔibilay
Nominative	إِبِلَانِ ʔibilāni	الْإِبِلَانِ al-ʔibilāni	إِبِلَا ʔibilā
Accusative	إِبِلَيْنِ ʔibilayni	الْإِبِلَيْنِ al-ʔibilayni	إِبِلَيْ ʔibilay
Genitive	إِبِلَيْنِ ʔibilayni	الْإِبِلَيْنِ al-ʔibilayni	إِبِلَيْ ʔibilay
Plural	basic broken plural triptote
Plural	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	آبَال ʔābāl	الْآبَال al-ʔābāl	آبَال ʔābāl
Nominative	آبَالٌ ʔābālun	الْآبَالُ al-ʔābālu	آبَالُ ʔābālu
Accusative	آبَالًا ʔābālan	الْآبَالَ al-ʔābāla	آبَالَ ʔābāla
Genitive	آبَالٍ ʔābālin	الْآبَالِ al-ʔābāli	آبَالِ ʔābāli

Descendants

→ Akkadian: 𒄿𒁉𒇻 (i-bi-lu /⁠ibilu⁠/)^[3]

References

^ Voigt, Rainer (2009) “Semitic Languages”, in Versteegh, Kees, editor, Encyclopedia of Arabic Language and Linguistics, volume 4, Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 174
^ Drissner, Gerald (2023 October 27) “Camels or rain clouds? The intriguing word إبل in the Qur’an”, in Arabic for Nerds‎^[1]
^ Forbes, Robert James (1993) Studies in ancient technology, 3rd edition, volume II, Leiden: E. J. Brill, →ISBN, page 209

[1] Voigt, Rainer (2009) “Semitic Languages”, in Versteegh, Kees, editor, Encyclopedia of Arabic Language and Linguistics, volume 4, Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 174

[2] Drissner, Gerald (2023 October 27) “Camels or rain clouds? The intriguing word إبل in the Qur’an”, in Arabic for Nerds‎^[1]

[3] Forbes, Robert James (1993) Studies in ancient technology, 3rd edition, volume II, Leiden: E. J. Brill, →ISBN, page 209

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