تنبل

See also: بنتل

Arabic

FWOTD – 22 February 2024

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Classical Persian تَنْبَل (tanbal).

Adjective

تَنْبَل • (tanbal) (masculine plural تَنَابِلَة (tanābila))

1. lazy

Declension

Declension of adjective تَنْبَل (tanbal)

Singular	Masculine		Feminine
	basic singular triptote		singular triptote in ـَة (-a)
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Informal	تَنْبَل tanbal	التَّنْبَل at-tanbal	تَنْبَلَة tanbala	التَّنْبَلَة at-tanbala
Nominative	تَنْبَلٌ tanbalun	التَّنْبَلُ at-tanbalu	تَنْبَلَةٌ tanbalatun	التَّنْبَلَةُ at-tanbalatu
Accusative	تَنْبَلًا tanbalan	التَّنْبَلَ at-tanbala	تَنْبَلَةً tanbalatan	التَّنْبَلَةَ at-tanbalata
Genitive	تَنْبَلٍ tanbalin	التَّنْبَلِ at-tanbali	تَنْبَلَةٍ tanbalatin	التَّنْبَلَةِ at-tanbalati
Dual	Masculine		Feminine
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Informal	تَنْبَلَيْن tanbalayn	التَّنْبَلَيْن at-tanbalayn	تَنْبَلَتَيْن tanbalatayn	التَّنْبَلَتَيْن at-tanbalatayn
Nominative	تَنْبَلَانِ tanbalāni	التَّنْبَلَانِ at-tanbalāni	تَنْبَلَتَانِ tanbalatāni	التَّنْبَلَتَانِ at-tanbalatāni
Accusative	تَنْبَلَيْنِ tanbalayni	التَّنْبَلَيْنِ at-tanbalayni	تَنْبَلَتَيْنِ tanbalatayni	التَّنْبَلَتَيْنِ at-tanbalatayni
Genitive	تَنْبَلَيْنِ tanbalayni	التَّنْبَلَيْنِ at-tanbalayni	تَنْبَلَتَيْنِ tanbalatayni	التَّنْبَلَتَيْنِ at-tanbalatayni
Plural	Masculine		Feminine
	broken plural triptote in ـَة (-a)		broken plural triptote in ـَة (-a)
	Indefinite	Definite	Indefinite	Definite
Informal	تَنَابِلَة tanābila	التَّنَابِلَة at-tanābila	تَنَابِلَة tanābila	التَّنَابِلَة at-tanābila
Nominative	تَنَابِلَةٌ tanābilatun	التَّنَابِلَةُ at-tanābilatu	تَنَابِلَةٌ tanābilatun	التَّنَابِلَةُ at-tanābilatu
Accusative	تَنَابِلَةً tanābilatan	التَّنَابِلَةَ at-tanābilata	تَنَابِلَةً tanābilatan	التَّنَابِلَةَ at-tanābilata
Genitive	تَنَابِلَةٍ tanābilatin	التَّنَابِلَةِ at-tanābilati	تَنَابِلَةٍ tanābilatin	التَّنَابِلَةِ at-tanābilati

Verb

تَنْبَلَ • (tanbala) Iq, non-past يُتَنْبِلُ‎ (yutanbilu)

1. to be or become lazy or sluggish

Conjugation

Conjugation of

تَنْبَلَ

(form-Iq sound)

verbal noun الْمَصْدَر						تَنْبَلَة tanbala
active participle اِسْم الْفَاعِل						مُتَنْبِل mutanbil
passive participle اِسْم الْمَفْعُول						مُتَنْبَل mutanbal
active voice الْفِعْل الْمَعْلُوم
		singular الْمُفْرَد				dual الْمُثَنَّى			plural الْجَمْع
		1st person الْمُتَكَلِّم	2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب		2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب		1st person الْمُتَكَلِّم	2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب
past (perfect) indicative الْمَاضِي	m	تَنْبَلْتُ tanbaltu	تَنْبَلْتَ tanbalta	تَنْبَلَ tanbala		تَنْبَلْتُمَا tanbaltumā	تَنْبَلَا tanbalā		تَنْبَلْنَا tanbalnā	تَنْبَلْتُمْ tanbaltum	تَنْبَلُوا tanbalū
	f		تَنْبَلْتِ tanbalti	تَنْبَلَتْ tanbalat			تَنْبَلَتَا tanbalatā			تَنْبَلْتُنَّ tanbaltunna	تَنْبَلْنَ tanbalna
non-past (imperfect) indicative الْمُضَارِع الْمَرْفُوع	m	أُتَنْبِلُ ʔutanbilu	تُتَنْبِلُ tutanbilu	يُتَنْبِلُ yutanbilu		تُتَنْبِلَانِ tutanbilāni	يُتَنْبِلَانِ yutanbilāni		نُتَنْبِلُ nutanbilu	تُتَنْبِلُونَ tutanbilūna	يُتَنْبِلُونَ yutanbilūna
	f		تُتَنْبِلِينَ tutanbilīna	تُتَنْبِلُ tutanbilu			تُتَنْبِلَانِ tutanbilāni			تُتَنْبِلْنَ tutanbilna	يُتَنْبِلْنَ yutanbilna
subjunctive الْمُضَارِع الْمَنْصُوب	m	أُتَنْبِلَ ʔutanbila	تُتَنْبِلَ tutanbila	يُتَنْبِلَ yutanbila		تُتَنْبِلَا tutanbilā	يُتَنْبِلَا yutanbilā		نُتَنْبِلَ nutanbila	تُتَنْبِلُوا tutanbilū	يُتَنْبِلُوا yutanbilū
	f		تُتَنْبِلِي tutanbilī	تُتَنْبِلَ tutanbila			تُتَنْبِلَا tutanbilā			تُتَنْبِلْنَ tutanbilna	يُتَنْبِلْنَ yutanbilna
jussive الْمُضَارِع الْمَجْزُوم	m	أُتَنْبِلْ ʔutanbil	تُتَنْبِلْ tutanbil	يُتَنْبِلْ yutanbil		تُتَنْبِلَا tutanbilā	يُتَنْبِلَا yutanbilā		نُتَنْبِلْ nutanbil	تُتَنْبِلُوا tutanbilū	يُتَنْبِلُوا yutanbilū
	f		تُتَنْبِلِي tutanbilī	تُتَنْبِلْ tutanbil			تُتَنْبِلَا tutanbilā			تُتَنْبِلْنَ tutanbilna	يُتَنْبِلْنَ yutanbilna
imperative الْأَمْر	m		تَنْبِلْ tanbil			تَنْبِلَا tanbilā				تَنْبِلُوا tanbilū
	f		تَنْبِلِي tanbilī							تَنْبِلْنَ tanbilna
passive voice الْفِعْل الْمَجْهُول
		singular الْمُفْرَد				dual الْمُثَنَّى			plural الْجَمْع
		1st person الْمُتَكَلِّم	2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب		2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب		1st person الْمُتَكَلِّم	2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب
past (perfect) indicative الْمَاضِي	m	تُنْبِلْتُ tunbiltu	تُنْبِلْتَ tunbilta	تُنْبِلَ tunbila		تُنْبِلْتُمَا tunbiltumā	تُنْبِلَا tunbilā		تُنْبِلْنَا tunbilnā	تُنْبِلْتُمْ tunbiltum	تُنْبِلُوا tunbilū
	f		تُنْبِلْتِ tunbilti	تُنْبِلَتْ tunbilat			تُنْبِلَتَا tunbilatā			تُنْبِلْتُنَّ tunbiltunna	تُنْبِلْنَ tunbilna
non-past (imperfect) indicative الْمُضَارِع الْمَرْفُوع	m	أُتَنْبَلُ ʔutanbalu	تُتَنْبَلُ tutanbalu	يُتَنْبَلُ yutanbalu		تُتَنْبَلَانِ tutanbalāni	يُتَنْبَلَانِ yutanbalāni		نُتَنْبَلُ nutanbalu	تُتَنْبَلُونَ tutanbalūna	يُتَنْبَلُونَ yutanbalūna
	f		تُتَنْبَلِينَ tutanbalīna	تُتَنْبَلُ tutanbalu			تُتَنْبَلَانِ tutanbalāni			تُتَنْبَلْنَ tutanbalna	يُتَنْبَلْنَ yutanbalna
subjunctive الْمُضَارِع الْمَنْصُوب	m	أُتَنْبَلَ ʔutanbala	تُتَنْبَلَ tutanbala	يُتَنْبَلَ yutanbala		تُتَنْبَلَا tutanbalā	يُتَنْبَلَا yutanbalā		نُتَنْبَلَ nutanbala	تُتَنْبَلُوا tutanbalū	يُتَنْبَلُوا yutanbalū
	f		تُتَنْبَلِي tutanbalī	تُتَنْبَلَ tutanbala			تُتَنْبَلَا tutanbalā			تُتَنْبَلْنَ tutanbalna	يُتَنْبَلْنَ yutanbalna
jussive الْمُضَارِع الْمَجْزُوم	m	أُتَنْبَلْ ʔutanbal	تُتَنْبَلْ tutanbal	يُتَنْبَلْ yutanbal		تُتَنْبَلَا tutanbalā	يُتَنْبَلَا yutanbalā		نُتَنْبَلْ nutanbal	تُتَنْبَلُوا tutanbalū	يُتَنْبَلُوا yutanbalū
	f		تُتَنْبَلِي tutanbalī	تُتَنْبَلْ tutanbal			تُتَنْبَلَا tutanbalā			تُتَنْبَلْنَ tutanbalna	يُتَنْبَلْنَ yutanbalna

Etymology 2

Root
ن ب ل (n-b-l)

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ta.nab.ba.la⁩/

Verb

تَنَبَّلَ • (tanabbala) V, non-past يَتَنَبَّلُ‎ (yatanabbalu)

1. to be noble, to be of high rank or talent, to excel
   • a. 525, Aš-Šanfara, أقيموا بني أمي صدور مطيكم (first line)‎^[1]:

     وَلَيْلَةِ نَحْسٍ يَصْطَلِيَ القَوْسَ رَبُّهَا … وَأَقْطُعَهُ ٱللَّاتِي بِهَا يَتَنَبَّلُ
     دَعَسْتُ عَلَى غَطَشٍ وَبَغْشٍ وَصُحْبَتِي … سُعَارٌ وَإِرْزِيزٌ وَوَجْرٌ وَأَفْكُلُ

     wa-laylati naḥsin yaṣṭaliya l-qawsa rabbu-hā … wa-ʔaqṭuʕa-hū l-lātī bi-hā yatanabbalu
     daʕastu ʕalā ḡaṭašin wabaḡšin wa-ṣuḥbatī … suʕārun wa-ʔirzīzun wa-wajrun wa-ʔafkulu

     And the ill-fated night when the master warmed up his bow, … and his arrowtips, in the handling of which he had trow
     I trod upon darkness and rain-shower and my following … was the heat of night and snowy hail and timid gulps and shivering

Conjugation

Conjugation of

تَنَبَّلَ

(form-V sound)

verbal noun الْمَصْدَر						تَنَبُّل tanabbul
active participle اِسْم الْفَاعِل						مُتَنَبِّل mutanabbil
active voice الْفِعْل الْمَعْلُوم
		singular الْمُفْرَد				dual الْمُثَنَّى			plural الْجَمْع
		1st person الْمُتَكَلِّم	2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب		2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب		1st person الْمُتَكَلِّم	2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب
past (perfect) indicative الْمَاضِي	m	تَنَبَّلْتُ tanabbaltu	تَنَبَّلْتَ tanabbalta	تَنَبَّلَ tanabbala		تَنَبَّلْتُمَا tanabbaltumā	تَنَبَّلَا tanabbalā		تَنَبَّلْنَا tanabbalnā	تَنَبَّلْتُمْ tanabbaltum	تَنَبَّلُوا tanabbalū
	f		تَنَبَّلْتِ tanabbalti	تَنَبَّلَتْ tanabbalat			تَنَبَّلَتَا tanabbalatā			تَنَبَّلْتُنَّ tanabbaltunna	تَنَبَّلْنَ tanabbalna
non-past (imperfect) indicative الْمُضَارِع الْمَرْفُوع	m	أَتَنَبَّلُ ʔatanabbalu	تَتَنَبَّلُ tatanabbalu	يَتَنَبَّلُ yatanabbalu		تَتَنَبَّلَانِ tatanabbalāni	يَتَنَبَّلَانِ yatanabbalāni		نَتَنَبَّلُ natanabbalu	تَتَنَبَّلُونَ tatanabbalūna	يَتَنَبَّلُونَ yatanabbalūna
	f		تَتَنَبَّلِينَ tatanabbalīna	تَتَنَبَّلُ tatanabbalu			تَتَنَبَّلَانِ tatanabbalāni			تَتَنَبَّلْنَ tatanabbalna	يَتَنَبَّلْنَ yatanabbalna
subjunctive الْمُضَارِع الْمَنْصُوب	m	أَتَنَبَّلَ ʔatanabbala	تَتَنَبَّلَ tatanabbala	يَتَنَبَّلَ yatanabbala		تَتَنَبَّلَا tatanabbalā	يَتَنَبَّلَا yatanabbalā		نَتَنَبَّلَ natanabbala	تَتَنَبَّلُوا tatanabbalū	يَتَنَبَّلُوا yatanabbalū
	f		تَتَنَبَّلِي tatanabbalī	تَتَنَبَّلَ tatanabbala			تَتَنَبَّلَا tatanabbalā			تَتَنَبَّلْنَ tatanabbalna	يَتَنَبَّلْنَ yatanabbalna
jussive الْمُضَارِع الْمَجْزُوم	m	أَتَنَبَّلْ ʔatanabbal	تَتَنَبَّلْ tatanabbal	يَتَنَبَّلْ yatanabbal		تَتَنَبَّلَا tatanabbalā	يَتَنَبَّلَا yatanabbalā		نَتَنَبَّلْ natanabbal	تَتَنَبَّلُوا tatanabbalū	يَتَنَبَّلُوا yatanabbalū
	f		تَتَنَبَّلِي tatanabbalī	تَتَنَبَّلْ tatanabbal			تَتَنَبَّلَا tatanabbalā			تَتَنَبَّلْنَ tatanabbalna	يَتَنَبَّلْنَ yatanabbalna
imperative الْأَمْر	m		تَنَبَّلْ tanabbal			تَنَبَّلَا tanabbalā				تَنَبَّلُوا tanabbalū
	f		تَنَبَّلِي tanabbalī							تَنَبَّلْنَ tanabbalna

Ottoman Turkish

Etymology

From Persian تنبل (tanbal).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [tɛm.ˈbɛl]
• (dialectal) IPA^(key): [dɛm.ˈbɛl]

Adjective

تنبل • (tembel)

1. lazy

Descendants

• Turkish: tembel
• → Albanian: dembel
• → Armenian: թէմպէլ (tʻēmpēl)
• → Bulgarian: дембе́л (dembél)
• → Greek: τεμπέλης (tempélis)
• → Hebrew: טֶמְבֶּל (témbel)
• → Laz: თემბელი (tembeli)
• → Macedonian: дембел (dembel)
• → Romanian: tembel
• → Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic script: дѐмбел

  Latin script: dèmbel

Persian

Etymology 1

According to Asatrian, sound-symbolic like Ossetian тымбыл (tymbyl, “round”) and Armenian թմբլիկ (tʻmblik, “plump”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [tan.ˈbal]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [t̪ʰäm.bǽl]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [t̪ʰäm.bǽl]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [t̪ʰäm.bǽl]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [t̪ʰäm.bǽl̥]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [t̪ʰæm.bǽl̥]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [t̪ʰäm.bǽl]

Readings
Classical reading?	tanbal
Dari reading?	tanbal
Iranian reading?	tanbal
Tajik reading?	tanbal

Adjective

تنبل • (tanbal) (comparative تنبل‌تَر (tanbal-tar), superlative تنبل‌تَرین (tanbal-tarin))

1. lazy
2. sluggish

Inflection

Predicative forms of تنبل (tanbal)
	singular	plural
1st person (“I am, we are”)	تنبلم (tanbalam)	تنبلیم (tanbalim)
2nd person (“you are”)	تنبلی (tanbali)	تنبلید (tanbalid) تنبلین △ (tanbalin)
3rd person (“he/she/it is, they are”)	تنبل است (tanbal ast) تنبله △ (tanbale)	تنبلند (tanbaland) تنبلن △ (tanbalan)
△ Colloquial.

Descendants

• → Arabic: تَنْبَل (tanbal)
• → Armenian: թամբալ (tʻambal)
• → Azerbaijani: tənbəl
• → Gulf Arabic: تمبل (tambal)
• → Ottoman Turkish: تنبل (tembel)
  • Turkish: tembel
  • → Albanian: dembel
  • → Armenian: թէմպէլ (tʻēmpēl)
  • → Bulgarian: дембе́л (dembél)
  • → Greek: τεμπέλης (tempélis)
  • → Hebrew: טֶמְבֶּל (témbel)
  • → Laz: თემბელი (tembeli)
  • → Macedonian: дембел (dembel)
  • → Romanian: tembel
  • → Serbo-Croatian:

    Cyrillic script: дѐмбел

    Latin script: dèmbel

• → Uzbek: tanbal

Etymology 2

Perhaps a corruption of Arabic تَنَبُّل (tanabbul).

Pronunciation

• (Classical Persian) IPA^(key): [tam.ˈbul]

 

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [t̪ʰäm.bʊ́l]

• (Dari, formal) IPA^(key): [t̪ʰäm.bʊ́l]
  • (Kabuli) IPA^(key): [t̪ʰäm.bʊ́l]
  • (Hazaragi) IPA^(key): [t̪ʰäm.búl̥]

• (Iran, formal) IPA^(key): [t̪ʰæm.ból̥]

• (Tajik, formal) IPA^(key): [t̪ʰäm.búl]

Readings
Classical reading?	tambul
Dari reading?	tambul
Iranian reading?	tambol
Tajik reading?	tambul

Noun

تنبل • (tambol)

1. (obsolete) trick, stratagem
   • 1010, Ferdowsi, شاهنامه [Shahnameh]:

     پشوتن چنین گفت کز پیل و شیر
     به تنبل فزونست مرد دلیر

     Pišōtan čunīn guft k-az pīl u šēr⁠
     ba tambul fuzūn ast mard-i dalēr

     Pišōtan said: "The brave man has more tricks than the elephant and the lion."

     (romanization in Classical Persian)

Further reading

• Asatrian, Garnik (2011) A Comparative Vocabulary of Central Iranian Dialects‎^[2] (in Persian), Tehran: Safir Ardehal Publications, pages 760–761
• Asatrjan, Garnik (2019) “Образования с суффиксальным элементом -l- в новоиранском [Formations with the suffixal element -l- in New Iranian]”, in Caucaso-Caspica IV: Research Papers from the Institute of Oriental Studies, RAU (in Russian), Yerevan: Russian-Armenian University, page 195 of 190–205
• Steingass, Francis Joseph (1892) “تنبل”, in A Comprehensive Persian–English dictionary, London: Routledge & K. Paul

South Levantine Arabic

Etymology

From Persian تنبل (tanbal).

Adjective

تنبل • (tanbal) (common plural تنابل (tanābel))

1. lazy

   Synonym: كسلان (kaslān)

See also

• خامل (ḵāmel, “sluggish”)