فيل

See also: فیل, قيل, قبل, قتل, and فتل

Arabic

فِيل

Etymology

From Middle Persian pyl (/⁠pīl⁠/), from Akkadian 𒄠𒋛 (/⁠pīru⁠/), related to Egyptian ꜣbw

(root of English elephant).

Cognate with Aramaic פִּילָא (pīlā) and Hebrew פיל (píl). Compare also Old Armenian փիղ (pʻił), Persian پیل (pil), Sanskrit पीलु (pīlu).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fiːl/

Noun

فِيل • (fīl) m (dual فِيلَان (fīlān), plural فِيَلَة (fiyala) or فُيُول (fuyūl) or أَفْيَال (ʔafyāl), feminine فِيلَة (fīla))

1. elephant
   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 105:1:

     أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِأَصْحَابِ ٱلْفِيلِ

     ʔalam tara kayfa faʕala rabbuka biʔaṣḥābi l-fīli

     Have thou seen not how thy Lord dealt with the companions of the elephant?

2. (chess) bishop (use the dual to pluralize)

Declension

Declension of noun فِيل (fīl)

Singular	basic singular triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	فِيل fīl	الْفِيل al-fīl	فِيل fīl
Nominative	فِيلٌ fīlun	الْفِيلُ al-fīlu	فِيلُ fīlu
Accusative	فِيلًا fīlan	الْفِيلَ al-fīla	فِيلَ fīla
Genitive	فِيلٍ fīlin	الْفِيلِ al-fīli	فِيلِ fīli
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	فِيلَيْن fīlayn	الْفِيلَيْن al-fīlayn	فِيلَيْ fīlay
Nominative	فِيلَانِ fīlāni	الْفِيلَانِ al-fīlāni	فِيلَا fīlā
Accusative	فِيلَيْنِ fīlayni	الْفِيلَيْنِ al-fīlayni	فِيلَيْ fīlay
Genitive	فِيلَيْنِ fīlayni	الْفِيلَيْنِ al-fīlayni	فِيلَيْ fīlay
Plural	broken plural triptote in ـَة (-a)‎; basic broken plural triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	فِيَلَة‎; فُيُول‎; أَفْيَال fiyala‎; fuyūl‎; ʔafyāl	الْفِيَلَة‎; الْفُيُول‎; الْأَفْيَال al-fiyala‎; al-fuyūl‎; al-ʔafyāl	فِيَلَة‎; فُيُول‎; أَفْيَال fiyalat‎; fuyūl‎; ʔafyāl
Nominative	فِيَلَةٌ‎; فُيُولٌ‎; أَفْيَالٌ fiyalatun‎; fuyūlun‎; ʔafyālun	الْفِيَلَةُ‎; الْفُيُولُ‎; الْأَفْيَالُ al-fiyalatu‎; al-fuyūlu‎; al-ʔafyālu	فِيَلَةُ‎; فُيُولُ‎; أَفْيَالُ fiyalatu‎; fuyūlu‎; ʔafyālu
Accusative	فِيَلَةً‎; فُيُولًا‎; أَفْيَالًا fiyalatan‎; fuyūlan‎; ʔafyālan	الْفِيَلَةَ‎; الْفُيُولَ‎; الْأَفْيَالَ al-fiyalata‎; al-fuyūla‎; al-ʔafyāla	فِيَلَةَ‎; فُيُولَ‎; أَفْيَالَ fiyalata‎; fuyūla‎; ʔafyāla
Genitive	فِيَلَةٍ‎; فُيُولٍ‎; أَفْيَالٍ fiyalatin‎; fuyūlin‎; ʔafyālin	الْفِيَلَةِ‎; الْفُيُولِ‎; الْأَفْيَالِ al-fiyalati‎; al-fuyūli‎; al-ʔafyāli	فِيَلَةِ‎; فُيُولِ‎; أَفْيَالِ fiyalati‎; fuyūli‎; ʔafyāli

Descendants

• → Azerbaijani: فیل / фил / fil (fil)
• → Judeo-Tat: fil / фил / פאִל (fil / фил / fil)
• → Central Kurdish: فیل (fîl)
• → Middle Armenian: ֆիլ (fil)
  • Armenian: ֆիլ (fil)
• → Old Norse: fíll
  • Faroese: fílur
  • Icelandic: fíll
  • ⇒ Old Norse: fílsbein (“ivory”)
    • Icelandic: fílsbein
    • Danish: filsben
• → Ottoman Turkish: فیل (fil), ֆիլ (fil) — Armeno-Turkish
  • Turkish: fil
  • → Albanian: fil
  • → Laz: ჶილი (fili)
  • → Serbo-Croatian: fȉl／фи̏л
  • ⇒ Ottoman Turkish: فیل دیشی (fildişi, “ivory”)
    • Turkish: fildişi
    • → Romanian: fildeș
    • → Serbo-Croatian: фѝлдиш / fìldiš
    • → Greek: φίλντισι (fílntisi)
• → Persian: فیل (fil)
  • → Bashkir: фил (fil)
    • → Yagnobi: фил (fil)
  • → Chechen: пийл (piı̇l)
  • → Georgian: ჶილი (fili) — Fereydan
  • → Hindi: फ़ील (fīl)
  • → Kazakh: піл (pıl)
  • → Kyrgyz: пил (pil)
  • → Northern Kurdish: fîl
  • → Pashto: پيل (pil)
  • → Tajik: фил (fil)
  • → Tatar: фил (fil)
  • → Turkmen: pil
  • → Urdu: فیل (fīl)
  • → Uyghur: پىل (pil)
  • → Uzbek: fil
• → Old Spanish: alfil (“bishop (chess)”)
  • Spanish: alfil
  • → Asturian: alfil
  • → Galician: alfil
  • → Catalan: alfil
• ⇒ Arabic: عَظْم اَلْفِيل (ʕaẓm al-fīl, “ivory”)
  • → Old Spanish: almalfil
    • Spanish: marfil
    • → Galician: marfil
    • → Catalan: marfil
  • → Old Galician-Portuguese: marfil, almafil
    • Portuguese: marfim

See also

Chess pieces in Arabic · (layout · text)
شَاه (šāh)	وَزِير (wazīr)	رُخّ (ruḵḵ) – قَلْعَة (qalʕa)	فِيل (fīl)	حِصَان (ḥiṣān)	بَيْدَق (baydaq) – جُنْدِيّ (jundiyy)

References

• Jeffery, Arthur (1938) The Foreign Vocabulary of the Qurʾān (Gaekwad’s Oriental Series; 79), Baroda: Oriental Institute, pages 230–231

South Levantine Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic فِيل (fīl).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fiːl/, [fiːl]

• Audio (Ramallah):

  (file)

Noun

فيل • (fīl) m (plural فيلة (fiyale) or فيولة (fyūle))

1. elephant