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 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))

1. (collective) camels
2. (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 – 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
	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
	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/)

See also

• بَعِير (baʕīr)
• جَمَل (jamal)
• نَاقَة (nāqa)