دلدل

Arabic

Etymology 1

Reduplicated from د ل و (d-l-w). Compare Hebrew דלדל.

Verb

دَلْدَلَ • (daldala) Iq (non-past يُدَلْدِلُ (yudaldilu), verbal noun دَلْدَلَة (daldala))

1. to make pendulate, to let dangle

Related terms

• تَدَلْدَلَ (tadaldala, “to pendulate, to dangle”)

Etymology 2

دُلْدُل

From دَلْدَلَ (daldala, “to let dangle”) as for the porcupine’s form of bearing its spines.

Alternative forms

• دُلْدُول (duldūl)

Noun

دُلْدُل • (duldul) m (plural دَلَادِل (dalādil))

1. crested porcupine (Hystrix cristata)
   • 7th century CE, Sunan an-Nasāʾiyy, 26:33:

     يَا أَهْلَ الْخِيَامِ هَذَا الدُّلْدُلُ هَذَا الَّذِي يَحْمِلُ أُسَرَاءَكُمْ مِنْ مَكَّةَ إِلَى الْمَدِينَةِ

     yā ʔahla l-ḵiyāmi haḏā d-duldulu haḏā allaḏī yaḥmilu ʔusarāʔakum min makkata ʔilā l-madīnati

     O people of the tents, this porcupine is the one who is taking your captives from Makka to Al-Madīna!

Declension

Declension of noun دُلْدُل (duldul)

Singular	basic singular triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	دُلْدُل duldul	الدُّلْدُل ad-duldul	دُلْدُل duldul
Nominative	دُلْدُلٌ duldulun	الدُّلْدُلُ ad-duldulu	دُلْدُلُ duldulu
Accusative	دُلْدُلًا duldulan	الدُّلْدُلَ ad-duldula	دُلْدُلَ duldula
Genitive	دُلْدُلٍ duldulin	الدُّلْدُلِ ad-dulduli	دُلْدُلِ dulduli
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	دُلْدُلَيْن duldulayn	الدُّلْدُلَيْن ad-duldulayn	دُلْدُلَيْ duldulay
Nominative	دُلْدُلَانِ duldulāni	الدُّلْدُلَانِ ad-duldulāni	دُلْدُلَا duldulā
Accusative	دُلْدُلَيْنِ duldulayni	الدُّلْدُلَيْنِ ad-duldulayni	دُلْدُلَيْ duldulay
Genitive	دُلْدُلَيْنِ duldulayni	الدُّلْدُلَيْنِ ad-duldulayni	دُلْدُلَيْ duldulay
Plural	basic broken plural diptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	دَلَادِل dalādil	الدَّلَادِل ad-dalādil	دَلَادِل dalādil
Nominative	دَلَادِلُ dalādilu	الدَّلَادِلُ ad-dalādilu	دَلَادِلُ dalādilu
Accusative	دَلَادِلَ dalādila	الدَّلَادِلَ ad-dalādila	دَلَادِلَ dalādila
Genitive	دَلَادِلَ dalādila	الدَّلَادِلِ ad-dalādili	دَلَادِلِ dalādili

References

• Freytag, Georg (1833) “دلدل”, in Lexicon arabico-latinum praesertim ex Djeuharii Firuzabadiique et aliorum Arabum operibus adhibitis Golii quoque et aliorum libris confectum‎^[1] (in Latin), volume 2, Halle: C. A. Schwetschke, page 48
• Nöldeke, Theodor (1904) Beiträge zur semitischen Sprachwissenschaft‎^[2] (in German), Straßburg: Karl J. Trübner, pages 109–110
• Wehr, Hans with Kropfitsch, Lorenz (1985) “دلدل”, in Arabisches Wörterbuch für die Schriftsprache der Gegenwart‎^[3] (in German), 5th edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, published 2011, →ISBN, page 402