طفيل
See also: طفیل
Arabic
Etymology
Diminutive of طِفْل (ṭifl, “little child”), though in the sense of “parasite” perhaps a backformation from the commoner adjective طُفَيْلِيّ (ṭufayliyy). Ancient Arabic lexicographers explained this sense as being derived from the name of a certain man called Ṭufayl, who, among the ancient Arabs, used to gatecrash feasts. However, a derivation directly from the diminutive sense might also make sense. Hebrew טַפִּיל (tapil, “parasite”) is a 19th-century invention based on the Arabic word.
Noun
طُفَيْل • (ṭufayl) m
Declension
| singular | basic singular triptote | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| indefinite | definite | construct | |
| informal | طُفَيْل ṭufayl |
الطُّفَيْل aṭ-ṭufayl |
طُفَيْل ṭufayl |
| nominative | طُفَيْلٌ ṭufaylun |
الطُّفَيْلُ aṭ-ṭufaylu |
طُفَيْلُ ṭufaylu |
| accusative | طُفَيْلًا ṭufaylan |
الطُّفَيْلَ aṭ-ṭufayla |
طُفَيْلَ ṭufayla |
| genitive | طُفَيْلٍ ṭufaylin |
الطُّفَيْلِ aṭ-ṭufayli |
طُفَيْلِ ṭufayli |
Derived terms
- طُفَيْل إِجْبَارِيّ (ṭufayl ʔijbāriyy, “obligate parasite”)
- طُفَيْل الطُفِيلِى (“hyperparasite”)
- طُفَيْل حَيَوَانِيّ (ṭufayl ḥayawāniyy, “zooparasite”)
- طُفَيْل خَارِجِيّ (ṭufayl ḵārijiyy, “ectoparasite”)
- طُفَيْل دَاخِلِيّ (ṭufayl dāḵiliyy, “endoparasite”)
- طُفَيْل دَمَوِيّ (ṭufayl damawiyy, “hematozoon”)
- طُفَيْل مَعَوِي (ṭufayl maʕawī, “enterozoon”)
- عِلْم الطُفَيْلِيَّات (ʕilm aṭ-ṭufayliyyāt, “parasitology”)
- ّطُفَيْل مِيكْرُوسْكُوبِي (“microparasite”)
- ّطُفَيْل نَصْفِي (“hemiparasite”)
- ّمَرَض طُفَيْلِي (“parasitic disease”)