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).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fiːl/

Noun

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

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

     ‏أَلَمْ تَرَ كَيْفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِأَصْحَابِ ٱلْفِيلِ‎‎

     ʾalam tara kayfa faʿala rabbuka biʾaṣḥābi l-fīli

     (please add an English translation of this quote)

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; ʾafyāl	الْفِيَلَة‎‎; الْفُيُول‎‎; الْأَفْيَال‎ al-fiyala‎; al-fuyūl‎; al-ʾafyāl	فِيَلَة‎‎; فُيُول‎‎; أَفْيَال‎ fiyalat‎; fuyūl‎; ʾafyāl
Nominative	فِيَلَةٌ‎‎; فُيُولٌ‎‎; أَفْيَالٌ‎ fiyalatun‎; fuyūlun‎; ʾafyālun	الْفِيَلَةُ‎‎; الْفُيُولُ‎‎; الْأَفْيَالُ‎ al-fiyalatu‎; al-fuyūlu‎; al-ʾafyālu	فِيَلَةُ‎‎; فُيُولُ‎‎; أَفْيَالُ‎ fiyalatu‎; fuyūlu‎; ʾafyālu
Accusative	فِيَلَةً‎‎; فُيُولًا‎‎; أَفْيَالًا‎ fiyalatan‎; fuyūlan‎; ʾafyālan	الْفِيَلَةَ‎‎; الْفُيُولَ‎‎; الْأَفْيَالَ‎ al-fiyalata‎; al-fuyūla‎; al-ʾafyāla	فِيَلَةَ‎‎; فُيُولَ‎‎; أَفْيَالَ‎ fiyalata‎; fuyūla‎; ʾafyāla
Genitive	فِيَلَةٍ‎‎; فُيُولٍ‎‎; أَفْيَالٍ‎ fiyalatin‎; fuyūlin‎; ʾafyālin	الْفِيَلَةِ‎‎; الْفُيُولِ‎‎; الْأَفْيَالِ‎ al-fiyalati‎; al-fuyūli‎; al-ʾafyāli	فِيَلَةِ‎‎; فُيُولِ‎‎; أَفْيَالِ‎ fiyalati‎; fuyūli‎; ʾafyāli

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)
  • Turkish: fil
  • → Serbo-Croatian: фи̏л / fȉl
  • ⇒ 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 (pīl)
  • → Hindi: फ़ील (fīl)
  • → Kazakh: піл (pil)
  • → 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 (ʿaẓm al-fīl, “ivory”)
  • → Old Spanish: almalfil
    • Spanish: marfil
    • → Galician: marfil
    • → Catalan: marfil
  • → Old Portuguese: marfil, almafil
    • Portuguese: marfim

See also

Chess pieces in Arabic · (layout · text)
شَاه‎ (šāh)	وَزِير‎ (wazīr)	رُخّ‎ (ruḵḵ)	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

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South Levantine Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic فِيل‎ (fīl).

Noun

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

1. elephant