سبيل
See also: سبیل
Arabic
Etymology
From the root س ب ل (s b l). Given the frequent religious usage of the word, there is some semantic interference of the Classical Syriac ܫܒܝܠܐ (šəbīlā). Cognate to Aramaic שְׁבִילׇא (šəḇīlā), Hebrew שְׁבִיל (šəḇī́l, “trail, path”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /sa.biːl/
- Rhymes: -iːl
Noun
سَبِيل • (sabīl) m or f (plural سُبُل (subul))
- way, path, road
- manner, method
- ways and means
- kinship
- necessary connection
- distribution of water
- public fountain
- blame
- 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 42:42:
- إِنَّمَا السَّبِيلُ عَلَى الَّذِينَ يَظْلِمُونَ النَّاسَ وَيَبْغُونَ فِي الْأَرْضِ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ ۚ أُولَٰئِكَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ
- ʔinnamā as-sabīlu ʕalā llaḏīna yaẓlimūna n-nāsa wayabḡūna fī l-ʔarḍi biḡayri l-ḥaqqi ʔulāʔika lahum ʕaḏābun ʔalīmun
- The blame is only against the ones who wrong the people and tyrannize upon the earth without right. Those will have a painful punishment.
Declension
| singular | basic singular triptote | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| indefinite | definite | construct | |
| informal | سَبِيل sabīl |
السَّبِيل as-sabīl |
سَبِيل sabīl |
| nominative | سَبِيلٌ sabīlun |
السَّبِيلُ as-sabīlu |
سَبِيلُ sabīlu |
| accusative | سَبِيلًا sabīlan |
السَّبِيلَ as-sabīla |
سَبِيلَ sabīla |
| genitive | سَبِيلٍ sabīlin |
السَّبِيلِ as-sabīli |
سَبِيلِ sabīli |
| dual | indefinite | definite | construct |
| informal | سَبِيلَيْن sabīlayn |
السَّبِيلَيْن as-sabīlayn |
سَبِيلَيْ sabīlay |
| nominative | سَبِيلَانِ sabīlāni |
السَّبِيلَانِ as-sabīlāni |
سَبِيلَا sabīlā |
| accusative | سَبِيلَيْنِ sabīlayni |
السَّبِيلَيْنِ as-sabīlayni |
سَبِيلَيْ sabīlay |
| genitive | سَبِيلَيْنِ sabīlayni |
السَّبِيلَيْنِ as-sabīlayni |
سَبِيلَيْ sabīlay |
| plural | basic broken plural triptote | ||
| indefinite | definite | construct | |
| informal | سُبُل subul |
السُّبُل as-subul |
سُبُل subul |
| nominative | سُبُلٌ subulun |
السُّبُلُ as-subulu |
سُبُلُ subulu |
| accusative | سُبُلًا subulan |
السُّبُلَ as-subula |
سُبُلَ subula |
| genitive | سُبُلٍ subulin |
السُّبُلِ as-subuli |
سُبُلِ subuli |
Derived terms
- اِبْن السَّبِيل (ibn as-sabīl, “wanderer”)
Descendants
- → Punjabi: ਛਬੀਲ f (chabīl)
References
- Jeffery, Arthur (1938) The Foreign Vocabulary of the Qurʾān (Gaekwad’s Oriental Series; 79), Baroda: Oriental Institute, page 162
- Schwally, Friedrich (1899) “Lexikalische Studien. (Fortsetzung.)”, in Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft[1] (in German), volume 53, page 197
- Steingass, Francis Joseph (1884) “سبيل”, in The Student's Arabic–English Dictionary[2], London: W.H. Allen