باطل

Arabic

Root
ب ط ل (b-ṭ-l)

Etymology

Derived from the active participle of the verb بَطَلَ (baṭala, “to be vain, to be false”).

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -il

Adjective

بَاطِل • (bāṭil) (feminine بَاطِلَة (bāṭila))

1. false

   Antonyms: حَقّ (ḥaqq), صَحِيح (ṣaḥīḥ)

   اِتِّهَامٌ بَاطِلٌ ― ittihāmun bāṭilun ― false accusation

2. vain
3. useless
4. invalid, null and void
5. (islamic jurisprudence, Islam) invalid

Declension

Declension of adjective بَاطِل (bāṭil)

Singular	Masculine		Feminine
	basic singular triptote		singular triptote in ـَة (-a)
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Informal	بَاطِل bāṭil	الْبَاطِل al-bāṭil	بَاطِلَة bāṭila	الْبَاطِلَة al-bāṭila
Nominative	بَاطِلٌ bāṭilun	الْبَاطِلُ al-bāṭilu	بَاطِلَةٌ bāṭilatun	الْبَاطِلَةُ al-bāṭilatu
Accusative	بَاطِلًا bāṭilan	الْبَاطِلَ al-bāṭila	بَاطِلَةً bāṭilatan	الْبَاطِلَةَ al-bāṭilata
Genitive	بَاطِلٍ bāṭilin	الْبَاطِلِ al-bāṭili	بَاطِلَةٍ bāṭilatin	الْبَاطِلَةِ al-bāṭilati
Dual	Masculine		Feminine
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Informal	بَاطِلَيْن bāṭilayn	الْبَاطِلَيْن al-bāṭilayn	بَاطِلَتَيْن bāṭilatayn	الْبَاطِلَتَيْن al-bāṭilatayn
Nominative	بَاطِلَانِ bāṭilāni	الْبَاطِلَانِ al-bāṭilāni	بَاطِلَتَانِ bāṭilatāni	الْبَاطِلَتَانِ al-bāṭilatāni
Accusative	بَاطِلَيْنِ bāṭilayni	الْبَاطِلَيْنِ al-bāṭilayni	بَاطِلَتَيْنِ bāṭilatayni	الْبَاطِلَتَيْنِ al-bāṭilatayni
Genitive	بَاطِلَيْنِ bāṭilayni	الْبَاطِلَيْنِ al-bāṭilayni	بَاطِلَتَيْنِ bāṭilatayni	الْبَاطِلَتَيْنِ al-bāṭilatayni
Plural	Masculine		Feminine
	basic broken plural triptote		sound feminine plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Informal	بُطُل buṭul	الْبُطُل al-buṭul	بَاطِلَات bāṭilāt	الْبَاطِلَات al-bāṭilāt
Nominative	بُطُلٌ buṭulun	الْبُطُلُ al-buṭulu	بَاطِلَاتٌ bāṭilātun	الْبَاطِلَاتُ al-bāṭilātu
Accusative	بُطُلًا buṭulan	الْبُطُلَ al-buṭula	بَاطِلَاتٍ bāṭilātin	الْبَاطِلَاتِ al-bāṭilāti
Genitive	بُطُلٍ buṭulin	الْبُطُلِ al-buṭuli	بَاطِلَاتٍ bāṭilātin	الْبَاطِلَاتِ al-bāṭilāti

Noun

بَاطِل • (bāṭil) m (plural أَبَاطِيل (ʔabāṭīl) or بَوَاطِل (bawāṭil) or بُطُل (buṭul))

1. falsehood

   Antonym: حَقّ (ḥaqq)

   مَا أُسِّسَ عَلَى بَاطِلٍ فَهُوَ بَاطِلٌ.

   mā ʔussisa ʕalā bāṭilin fahuwa bāṭilun.

   (please add an English translation of this usage example)

   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 17:81:

     جَاءَ الْحَقُّ وَزَهَقَ الْبَاطِلُ إِنَّ الْبَاطِلَ كَانَ زَهُوقًا

     jāʾa l-ḥaqqu wazahaqa l-bāṭilu ʾinna l-bāṭila kāna zahūqan

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

2. wrong, injustice

   Antonym: حَقّ (ḥaqq)

   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 2:188:

     وَلَا تَأْكُلُوا أَمْوَالَكُمْ بَيْنَكُمْ بِالْبَاطِلِ وَتُدْلُوا بِهَا إِلَى الْحُكَّامِ لِتَأْكُلُوا فَرِيقًا مِنْ أَمْوَالِ النَّاسِ بِالْإِثْمِ وَأَنْتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ

     walā taʔkulū ʔamwālakum baynakum bi-l-bāṭili watudlū bihā ʔilā l-ḥukkāmi litaʔkulū farīqan min ʔamwāli n-nāsi bi-l-ʔiṯmi waʔantum taʕlamūna

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Declension

Declension of noun بَاطِل (bāṭil)

Singular	basic singular triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	بَاطِل bāṭil	الْبَاطِل al-bāṭil	بَاطِل bāṭil
Nominative	بَاطِلٌ bāṭilun	الْبَاطِلُ al-bāṭilu	بَاطِلُ bāṭilu
Accusative	بَاطِلًا bāṭilan	الْبَاطِلَ al-bāṭila	بَاطِلَ bāṭila
Genitive	بَاطِلٍ bāṭilin	الْبَاطِلِ al-bāṭili	بَاطِلِ bāṭili
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	بَاطِلَيْن bāṭilayn	الْبَاطِلَيْن al-bāṭilayn	بَاطِلَيْ bāṭilay
Nominative	بَاطِلَانِ bāṭilāni	الْبَاطِلَانِ al-bāṭilāni	بَاطِلَا bāṭilā
Accusative	بَاطِلَيْنِ bāṭilayni	الْبَاطِلَيْنِ al-bāṭilayni	بَاطِلَيْ bāṭilay
Genitive	بَاطِلَيْنِ bāṭilayni	الْبَاطِلَيْنِ al-bāṭilayni	بَاطِلَيْ bāṭilay
Plural	basic broken plural diptote‎; basic broken plural triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	أَبَاطِيل‎; بَوَاطِل‎; بُطُل ʔabāṭīl‎; bawāṭil‎; buṭul	الْأَبَاطِيل‎; الْبَوَاطِل‎; الْبُطُل al-ʔabāṭīl‎; al-bawāṭil‎; al-buṭul	أَبَاطِيل‎; بَوَاطِل‎; بُطُل ʔabāṭīl‎; bawāṭil‎; buṭul
Nominative	أَبَاطِيلُ‎; بَوَاطِلُ‎; بُطُلٌ ʔabāṭīlu‎; bawāṭilu‎; buṭulun	الْأَبَاطِيلُ‎; الْبَوَاطِلُ‎; الْبُطُلُ al-ʔabāṭīlu‎; al-bawāṭilu‎; al-buṭulu	أَبَاطِيلُ‎; بَوَاطِلُ‎; بُطُلُ ʔabāṭīlu‎; bawāṭilu‎; buṭulu
Accusative	أَبَاطِيلَ‎; بَوَاطِلَ‎; بُطُلًا ʔabāṭīla‎; bawāṭila‎; buṭulan	الْأَبَاطِيلَ‎; الْبَوَاطِلَ‎; الْبُطُلَ al-ʔabāṭīla‎; al-bawāṭila‎; al-buṭula	أَبَاطِيلَ‎; بَوَاطِلَ‎; بُطُلَ ʔabāṭīla‎; bawāṭila‎; buṭula
Genitive	أَبَاطِيلَ‎; بَوَاطِلَ‎; بُطُلٍ ʔabāṭīla‎; bawāṭila‎; buṭulin	الْأَبَاطِيلِ‎; الْبَوَاطِلِ‎; الْبُطُلِ al-ʔabāṭīli‎; al-bawāṭili‎; al-buṭuli	أَبَاطِيلِ‎; بَوَاطِلِ‎; بُطُلِ ʔabāṭīli‎; bawāṭili‎; buṭuli

Derived terms

• لِلْبَاطِلِ جَوْلَةٌ ثُمَّ يَضْمَحِلُّ (lilbāṭili jawlatun ṯumma yaḍmaḥillu, proverb)
• كَلِمَةُ حَقٍّ يُرَادُ بِهَا بَاطِلٌ (kalimatu ḥaqqin yurādu bihā bāṭilun)

Descendants

• → Indonesian: batil
• → Persian: باطل (bâtil)
• → Ottoman Turkish: باطل (batıl)
  • Turkish: batıl
  • Crimean Tatar: batıl

References

• Steingass, Francis Joseph (1884) “باطل”, in The Student's Arabic–English Dictionary‎^[1], London: W.H. Allen

Persian

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic بَاطِل (bāṭil)

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [bɑː.til]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [bɑː.t̪ʰɪl]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [bɑː.t̪ʰɪl]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [bɑː.t̪ʰɪl]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [bɔː.t̪ʰil̥]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [bɒː.t̪ʰel̥]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [bɔ.t̪ʰil]

Readings
Classical reading?	bātil
Dari reading?	bātil
Iranian reading?	bâtel
Tajik reading?	botil

Adjective

Dari	باطل
Iranian Persian
Tajik	ботил

باطل • (bâtil)

1. null, void, cancelled
2. vain, false, untrue, illusive

   Synonym: عاطل ('âtil)

   • c. 1260s, Jalāl ad-Dīn Mohammad Rūmī, translated by Reynold A. Nicholson, مثنوی معنوی [Masnavi-ye-Ma'navi], volume I, verse 2624:

     گر بیان معنوی کافی شدی
     خلق عالم عاطل و باطل بدی

     gar bayân-i-ma'nawi kâfî šudî
     xalq-i-'alâm 'âtil u bâtil budî

     If the spiritual explanation were sufficient, the creation of the world would have been idle and vain.

References

• Hayyim, Sulayman (1934) “باطل”, in New Persian–English dictionary, Teheran: Librairie-imprimerie Béroukhim