Arabic

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Etymology

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From the root ق ل ل (q-l-l). Related to Aramaic קלל.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /qa.liːl/
  • Audio:(file)

Adjective

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قَلِيل (qalīl) (feminine قَلِيلَة (qalīla), masculine plural قَلِيلُون (qalīlūn) or قُلُل (qulul) or أَقِلَّاء (ʔaqillāʔ), feminine plural قَلِيلَات (qalīlāt) or قَلَائِل (qalāʔil), elative أَقَلّ (ʔaqall))

  1. few, little
    • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 8:43:
      إِذْ يُرِيكَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ فِي مَنَامِكَ قَلِيلًاۖ وَلَوْ أَرَاكَهُمْ كَثِيرًا لَّفَشِلْتُمْ وَلَتَنَازَعْتُمْ فِي ٱلْأَمْرِ وَلَٰكِنَّ اللَّهَ سَلَّمَۗ إِنَّهُ عَلِيمٌ بِذَاتِ ٱلصُّدُورِ
      ʔiḏ yurīkahumu l-lahu fī manāmika qalīlan walaw ʔarākahum kaṯīran lafašiltum walatanāzaʕtum fī l-ʔamri walākinna l-laha sallama ʔinnahu ʕalīmun biḏāti ṣ-ṣudūri
      When Allah showed them unto thee in thy dream as few, and if he had shown them to thee as many, ye would have dithered and would have made a fuss of the matter, but God kept you safe of it, for he knows how the breasts of the people go.
  2. scarce
  3. short, thin, paltry, insignificant-looking

Declension

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Antonyms

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Noun

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قَلِيل (qalīlm

  1. a few; a little
    • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 17:85:
      وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ عَنِ الرُّوحِ قُلِ الرُّوحُ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّي وَمَا أُوتِيتُم مِنَ الْعِلْمِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا
      wayasʔalūnaka ʕani r-rūḥi quli r-rūḥu min ʔamri rabbī wamā ʔūtītum mina l-ʕilmi ʔillā qalīlan
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)
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References

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Hijazi Arabic

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Root
ق ل ل
4 terms

Etymology

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From Arabic قَلِيل (qalīl).

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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قليل (galīl) (feminine قليلة (galīla), common plural قلال (gulāl) or قليلين (galīlīn), elative أقلّ (ʔagall))

  1. few, little
    Synonym: شوية (šuwayya)
    Antonym: كثير (katīr)
  2. rarely

South Levantine Arabic

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Root
ق ل ل
4 terms

Etymology

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From Arabic قَلِيل (qalīl).

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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قليل (ʔalīl) (feminine قليلة (ʔalīle), common plural قلال (ʔlāl), elative أقلّ (ʔaʔall))

  1. few, little
    Synonym: شوي (šwayy)
    Antonym: كتير (ktīr)
  2. seldom, rarely [with ما (ma)]
    قليل ما يكون عندي وقت أروح عالنادي.
    ʔalīl ma ykūn ʕindi waʔt ʔarūḥ ʕan-nādi
    I rarely have time to go to the gym.
    (literally, “Rarely there is at-me time to go to the gym.”)

Derived terms

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