شكال

See also: شکال

Arabic

FWOTD – 12 May 2019

Etymology

From the root ش ك ل (š-k-l) which had an original significance of plaiting hair, to shape or place in a form, to bind or hold in place, to look at or work attentively and skillfully. Attested in Biblical Hebrew שִׂכֵּל֙ (“crossing or plaiting one's hands”) in Genesis 48:14 with connection likely to Akkadian 𒊓𒅗𒇻 (/⁠sakālu⁠/, “to balk, to get stuck, to be stopped or held fast”) said especially of equids and locks.

The relation to Persian اشکیل (eškil, “hobble”), اشکل (eškel, “hobble”) is of uncertain nature. But since the Iranian form is backed by Central Kurdish ئەشکێڵ (eşkêll, “diameter, diagonal”), ئەشکێڵکِردِن (eşkêllkirdin, “tie the feet together and throw (the animal)”), ئەشکۆڵ (eşkoll), ئەشکەڵە (eşkelle, “a wood thing to close door; a wood thing to pitch a tent; a wood instrument of torture”), Persian اشکلک (eškelak, “a wood instrument of torture”), and considering that the coordinate instrument زِيَار (ziyār, “twitch”) is borrowed from Aramaic זַיָּירָא (zayyārā, “squeezer”) not attested in the farriery meaning, the present Arabic word is probably loaned likewise from an unattested Aramaic designation for the hobble, and then levelled in its vocalism by being paired with زِيَار (ziyār, “twitch”), and other words of the horse tack realm like زِمَام (zimām, “reins”), عِنَان (ʕinān, “the strap of the bridle, reins”), لِجَام (lijām, “bridle”), رِكَاب (rikāb, “stirrup”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʃi.kaːl/

Noun

شِكَال • (šikāl) m (plural شُكُل (šukul)) (farriery)

1. hopple, hobble, pastern; a kind of fetter used to restrain the feet of an animal so that surgery can be performed on it
   • c. 1200, يحيى بن محمد بن أحمد بن العوام [yaḥyā ibn muḥammad ibn ʔaḥmad ibn al-ʕawwām], edited by José Antonio Banqueri, كتاب الفلاحة [Book on Agriculture], volume 2, Madrid: Imprenta Real, published 1802^IA, Cap. 33, Art. 9, page 673:

     فإذا أَرَدتَ فتح عرق أو وداج فخذ المبضع بين إصبعك الإبهام والسبّابة كأخذك القلم للكتابة به وليكن نصابه في راحتك وتخرج من رأسه خارج طرفي إصبعك المذكورين قدر طول ظفر إبهامك وأقلّ من ذلك إلى قدر نصف ظفر إبهامك ثم أفتح العرق إلى فوق شقّا بليغا برفق وخفّة. وأمّا التوديج يالقضيب وهو معلوم فتركب فيه المبضع وتخرج من طرفه خارج من القضيب قدر طول ظفر إبهامك، ولا تعجل بالضرب بالمبضع حتّى تقف على العرق بعينه وخاصة الوداجين، ولا تودّج حتّى تستوثق من الدابّة بالشكل والزيار ليألُ يضطرب وتختنق الدابّة بالخناق خنقا شديدا ليدرّ العرق. فإنّ ذلك موضوع خبيث وإن جاوزت يدك ربّما أصاب المبضع عرق الماء وهو المريء الدابّة فقتله.

     If you want to open a vein or jugular, take the scalpel between your thumb and index finger, take it like you take the quill for writing with it, so that its grip is in your palm, and you turn away from its head outwith the two tips of your said fingers by a length of the nail of your thumb and less than that by a half of the nail of your thumb, then you open the vein upwards making a sufficient cut with gentleness and levity. And what concerns the cutting the jugular with the known rod, you mount the scalpel in it and you move away from the rod’s tip by the length of the nail of your thumb, but don’t hasten with hitting with the scalpel until you have discerned the vein by its eye, particularly the two jugulars, and don’t do a jugular cut until you have provided for the security of the beast by hopples and a twitch, so you do not agitate or suffocate the beast at its throat by excessive choking, so the vein flows with abundance. This part being particularly perilous, if your hand go to far then the scalpel could hit the water vein [or windpipe], that is the oesophaghus of the beast, and it would kill it.

Declension

Declension of noun شِكَال (šikāl)

Singular	basic singular triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	شِكَال šikāl	الشِّكَال aš-šikāl	شِكَال šikāl
Nominative	شِكَالٌ šikālun	الشِّكَالُ aš-šikālu	شِكَالُ šikālu
Accusative	شِكَالًا šikālan	الشِّكَالَ aš-šikāla	شِكَالَ šikāla
Genitive	شِكَالٍ šikālin	الشِّكَالِ aš-šikāli	شِكَالِ šikāli
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	شِكَالَيْن šikālayn	الشِّكَالَيْن aš-šikālayn	شِكَالَيْ šikālay
Nominative	شِكَالَانِ šikālāni	الشِّكَالَانِ aš-šikālāni	شِكَالَا šikālā
Accusative	شِكَالَيْنِ šikālayni	الشِّكَالَيْنِ aš-šikālayni	شِكَالَيْ šikālay
Genitive	شِكَالَيْنِ šikālayni	الشِّكَالَيْنِ aš-šikālayni	شِكَالَيْ šikālay
Plural	basic broken plural triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	شُكُل šukul	الشُّكُل aš-šukul	شُكُل šukul
Nominative	شُكُلٌ šukulun	الشُّكُلُ aš-šukulu	شُكُلُ šukulu
Accusative	شُكُلًا šukulan	الشُّكُلَ aš-šukula	شُكُلَ šukula
Genitive	شُكُلٍ šukulin	الشُّكُلِ aš-šukuli	شُكُلِ šukuli

References

H7919 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible