طفل

Arabic

Etymology

From the root ط ف ل‎ (ṭ-f-l).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tˤifl/

Noun

طِفْل • (ṭifl) m (plural أَطْفَال‎ (ʾaṭfāl))

1. child (a minor)
2. (collective) children (a minor)
   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 22:05:

     ‏وَنُقِرُّ فِي الْأَرْحَامِ مَا نَشَاءُ إِلَى أَجَلٍ مُسَمًّى ثُمَّ نُخْرِجُكُمْ طِفْلًا ثُمَّ لِتَبْلُغُوا أَشُدَّكُمْ‎

     wanuqirru fī l-ʾarḥāmi mā našāʾu ʾilā ʾajalin musamman ṯumma nuḵrijukum ṭiflan ṯumma litabluḡū ʾašuddakum

     ˹Then˺ We settle whatever ˹embryo˺ We will in the womb for an appointed term, then bring you forth as infants, so that you may reach your prime. Some of you ˹may˺ die ˹young˺, while others are left to reach the most feeble stage of life so that they may know nothing after having known much.

   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 24:31:

     ‏أَوِ الطِّفْلِ الَّذِينَ لَمْ يَظْهَرُوا عَلَى عَوْرَاتِ النِّسَاءِ‎

     ʾawi ṭ-ṭifli allaḏīna lam yaẓharū ʿalā ʿawrāti n-nisāʾi

     (please add an English translation of this quote)

Declension

Declension of noun طِفْل (ṭifl)

Singular	basic singular triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	طِفْل ṭifl	الطِّفْل‎ aṭ-ṭifl	طِفْل ṭifl
Nominative	طِفْلٌ ṭiflun	الطِّفْلُ‎ aṭ-ṭiflu	طِفْلُ ṭiflu
Accusative	طِفْلًا‎ ṭiflan	الطِّفْلَ‎ aṭ-ṭifla	طِفْلَ ṭifla
Genitive	طِفْلٍ ṭiflin	الطِّفْلِ‎ aṭ-ṭifli	طِفْلِ ṭifli
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	طِفْلَيْن‎ ṭiflayn	الطِّفْلَيْن‎ aṭ-ṭiflayn	طِفْلَيْ‎ ṭiflay
Nominative	طِفْلَانِ‎ ṭiflāni	الطِّفْلَانِ‎ aṭ-ṭiflāni	طِفْلَا‎ ṭiflā
Accusative	طِفْلَيْنِ‎ ṭiflayni	الطِّفْلَيْنِ‎ aṭ-ṭiflayni	طِفْلَيْ‎ ṭiflay
Genitive	طِفْلَيْنِ‎ ṭiflayni	الطِّفْلَيْنِ‎ aṭ-ṭiflayni	طِفْلَيْ‎ ṭiflay
Plural	basic broken plural triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	أَطْفَال‎ ʾaṭfāl	الْأَطْفَال‎ al-ʾaṭfāl	أَطْفَال‎ ʾaṭfāl
Nominative	أَطْفَالٌ‎ ʾaṭfālun	الْأَطْفَالُ‎ al-ʾaṭfālu	أَطْفَالُ‎ ʾaṭfālu
Accusative	أَطْفَالًا‎ ʾaṭfālan	الْأَطْفَالَ‎ al-ʾaṭfāla	أَطْفَالَ‎ ʾaṭfāla
Genitive	أَطْفَالٍ‎ ʾaṭfālin	الْأَطْفَالِ‎ al-ʾaṭfāli	أَطْفَالِ‎ ʾaṭfāli

Descendants

• Maltese: tifel
• → Persian: طفل‎ (tefl)
• → Turkish: tıfıl

References

• Wehr, Hans (1979), “طفل”, in J. Milton Cowan, editor, A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, 4th edition, Ithaca, NY: Spoken Language Services, →ISBN

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Egyptian Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic طِفْل‎ (ṭifl)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈtˤɪfl]

Noun

طفل • (ṭifl) f (plural اطفال‎ (aṭfāl))

1. child

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Persian

Etymology

Borrowed from Arabic طِفْل‎ (ṭifl).

Noun

طفل • (tefl)

1. infant

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South Levantine Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic طِفْل‎ (ṭifl).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tˤifl/, [ˈtˤɪ.f(ɪ)l]

• Audio (Ramallah)

  (file)

Noun

طفل • (ṭifl) m (plural أطفال‎ (ʔaṭfāl), feminine طفلة‎ (ṭifle))

1. (formal) young child, toddler, baby

See also

• بيبي‎ (bēbi, “baby”)
• ولد‎ (walad, “child; boy”)