بغل

Arabic

Etymology

In view of the Sabaean Old South Arabian 𐩨𐩶𐩡 (bġl), attested once from the 1^st century CE, Arabic has probably borrowed thence and not from Ge'ez በቅል (bäḳl) as formerly claimed.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /baɣl/

Noun

بَغْل • (baḡl) m (plural بِغَال (biḡāl) or أَبْغَال (ʔabḡāl), feminine بَغْلَة (baḡla))

1. mule
   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 16:8:

     وَخَلَقَ اللَّٰهُ الْخَيْلَ وَالْبِغَالَ وَالْحَمِيرَ لِتَرْكَبُوهَا وَزِينَةً

     wa-ḵalaqa llāhu l-ḵayla wa-l-biḡāla wa-l-ḥamīra li-tarkabū-hā wa-zīnatan

     And God created horses, mules, and asses for you to ride on and as an embellishment.

Declension

Declension of noun بَغْل (baḡl)

Singular	Masculine			Feminine
	basic singular triptote			singular triptote in ـَة (-a)
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	بَغْل baḡl	الْبَغْل al-baḡl	بَغْل baḡl	بَغْلَة baḡla	الْبَغْلَة al-baḡla	بَغْلَة baḡlat
Nominative	بَغْلٌ baḡlun	الْبَغْلُ al-baḡlu	بَغْلُ baḡlu	بَغْلَةٌ baḡlatun	الْبَغْلَةُ al-baḡlatu	بَغْلَةُ baḡlatu
Accusative	بَغْلًا baḡlan	الْبَغْلَ al-baḡla	بَغْلَ baḡla	بَغْلَةً baḡlatan	الْبَغْلَةَ al-baḡlata	بَغْلَةَ baḡlata
Genitive	بَغْلٍ baḡlin	الْبَغْلِ al-baḡli	بَغْلِ baḡli	بَغْلَةٍ baḡlatin	الْبَغْلَةِ al-baḡlati	بَغْلَةِ baḡlati
Dual	Masculine			Feminine
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	بَغْلَيْن baḡlayn	الْبَغْلَيْن al-baḡlayn	بَغْلَيْ baḡlay	بَغْلَتَيْن baḡlatayn	الْبَغْلَتَيْن al-baḡlatayn	بَغْلَتَيْ baḡlatay
Nominative	بَغْلَانِ baḡlāni	الْبَغْلَانِ al-baḡlāni	بَغْلَا baḡlā	بَغْلَتَانِ baḡlatāni	الْبَغْلَتَانِ al-baḡlatāni	بَغْلَتَا baḡlatā
Accusative	بَغْلَيْنِ baḡlayni	الْبَغْلَيْنِ al-baḡlayni	بَغْلَيْ baḡlay	بَغْلَتَيْنِ baḡlatayni	الْبَغْلَتَيْنِ al-baḡlatayni	بَغْلَتَيْ baḡlatay
Genitive	بَغْلَيْنِ baḡlayni	الْبَغْلَيْنِ al-baḡlayni	بَغْلَيْ baḡlay	بَغْلَتَيْنِ baḡlatayni	الْبَغْلَتَيْنِ al-baḡlatayni	بَغْلَتَيْ baḡlatay
Plural	Masculine			Feminine
	basic broken plural triptote			sound feminine plural
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	بِغَال‎; أَبْغَال biḡāl‎; ʔabḡāl	الْبِغَال‎; الْأَبْغَال al-biḡāl‎; al-ʔabḡāl	بِغَال‎; أَبْغَال biḡāl‎; ʔabḡāl	بَغَلَات baḡalāt	الْبَغَلَات al-baḡalāt	بَغَلَات baḡalāt
Nominative	بِغَالٌ‎; أَبْغَالٌ biḡālun‎; ʔabḡālun	الْبِغَالُ‎; الْأَبْغَالُ al-biḡālu‎; al-ʔabḡālu	بِغَالُ‎; أَبْغَالُ biḡālu‎; ʔabḡālu	بَغَلَاتٌ baḡalātun	الْبَغَلَاتُ al-baḡalātu	بَغَلَاتُ baḡalātu
Accusative	بِغَالًا‎; أَبْغَالًا biḡālan‎; ʔabḡālan	الْبِغَالَ‎; الْأَبْغَالَ al-biḡāla‎; al-ʔabḡāla	بِغَالَ‎; أَبْغَالَ biḡāla‎; ʔabḡāla	بَغَلَاتٍ baḡalātin	الْبَغَلَاتِ al-baḡalāti	بَغَلَاتِ baḡalāti
Genitive	بِغَالٍ‎; أَبْغَالٍ biḡālin‎; ʔabḡālin	الْبِغَالِ‎; الْأَبْغَالِ al-biḡāli‎; al-ʔabḡāli	بِغَالِ‎; أَبْغَالِ biḡāli‎; ʔabḡāli	بَغَلَاتٍ baḡalātin	الْبَغَلَاتِ al-baḡalāti	بَغَلَاتِ baḡalāti

Descendants

• Maltese: bagħal
• → Classical Syriac: ܒܰܓܠܳܐ (baglā)
• → Swahili: baghala

References

• Jeffery, Arthur (1938) The Foreign Vocabulary of the Qurʾān (Gaekwad’s Oriental Series; 79), Baroda: Oriental Institute, page 82
• Fraenkel, Siegmund (1886) Die aramäischen Fremdwörter im Arabischen (in German), Leiden: E. J. Brill, page 110
• Hommel, Fritz (1879) Die Namen der Säugethiere bei den südsemitischen Völkern als Beiträge zur arabischen und äthiopischen Lexicographie, zur semitischen Kulturforschung und Sprachvergleichung und zur Geschichte der Mittelmeerfauna. Mit steter Berücksichtigung auch der assyrischen und hebräischen Thiernamen und geographischen und literaturgeschichtlichen Excursen‎^[1] (in German), Leipzig: J. C. Hinrichs’sche Buchhandlung, pages 112–117
• Kazimirski, Albin de Biberstein (1860) “بغل”, in Dictionnaire arabe-français contenant toutes les racines de la langue arabe, leurs dérivés, tant dans l’idiome vulgaire que dans l’idiome littéral, ainsi que les dialectes d’Alger et de Maroc‎^[2] (in French), volume 1, Paris: Maisonneuve et C^ie, page 146
• Lane, Edward William (1863) “بغل”, in Arabic-English Lexicon‎^[3], London: Williams & Norgate, page 230
• Leslau, Wolf (1991) Comparative Dictionary of Geʿez (Classical Ethiopic), 2nd edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, →ISBN, page 101
• Militarev, Alexander, Kogan, Leonid (2000–2005) Semitic Etymological Dictionary, Münster: Ugarit-Verlag, pages 77–78
• Nöldeke, Theodor (1910) Neue Beiträge zur semitischen Sprachwissenschaft‎^[4] (in German), Straßburg: Karl J. Trübner, page 58