ليل

Algerian Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic لَيْل (layl), from Proto-Semitic *laylay- (“night”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /liːl/

Noun

ليل (līl) m (plural ليالي (lyāli))

1. nighttime, night

   Antonym: نهار (nhār)

Arabic

Etymology

From the root ل ي ل (l y l). From Proto-Semitic *layl-.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lajl/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

لَيْل • (layl) m (uncountable)

1. nighttime, night

   Antonym: نَهَار (nahār)

2. (countable, obsolete) chick of a bustard (حُبَارَى (ḥubārā)) and/or curlew (كَرَوَان (karawān))
3. (countable, obsolete) bustard hen; bustard in general

Declension

Declension of noun لَيْل (layl)

singular	basic singular triptote
	indefinite	definite	construct
informal	لَيْل layl	اللَّيْل al-layl	لَيْل layl
nominative	لَيْلٌ laylun	اللَّيْلُ al-laylu	لَيْلُ laylu
accusative	لَيْلًا laylan	اللَّيْلَ al-layla	لَيْلَ layla
genitive	لَيْلٍ laylin	اللَّيْلِ al-layli	لَيْلِ layli

Derived terms

• لَيْلَ نَهَارَ (layla nahāra)

Related terms

• لَيْلَة (layla)

References

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

Egyptian Arabic

Etymology 1

From Arabic لَيْل (layl).

Noun

ليل • (lēl) m (collective, singulative ليلة f (lēla), plural ليالي (layāli))

1. nighttime, night

   الدنيا بقت ليل ― id-dinya baʕit lēl ― Night came (literally, “it became night”)

   الليلة دي ― il-lēla di ― tonight (literally, “this night”)

Etymology 2

Denominalization of ليل (lēl, “nighttime”).

Verb

ليّل • (layyil) II (active participle مليل (milayyil))

1. (impersonal) to become night

   الدنيا ليّلت ― id-dinya layyilit ― Night came

Conjugation

Conjugation of ليل

		singular				plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person		1st person	2nd person	3rd person
past	m	ليّلت (layyilt)	ليّلت (layyilt)	ليّل (layyil)		ليّلنا (layyilna)	ليّلتوا (layyiltu)	ليّلوا (layyilu)
	f		ليّلتي (layyilti)	ليّلت (layyilit)
present subjunctive	m	اليّل (alayyil)	تليّل (tilayyil)	يليّل (yilayyil)		نليّل (nilayyil)	تليّلوا (tilayyilu)	يليّلوا (yilayyilu)
	f		تليّلي (tilayyili)	تليّل (tilayyil)
present indicative	m	بليّل (balayyil)	بتليّل (bitlayyil)	بيليّل (biylayyil)		بنليّل (binlayyil)	بتليّلوا (bitlayyilu)	بيليّلوا (biylayyilu)
	f		بتليّلي (bitlayyili)	بتليّل (bitlayyil)
future1	m	هليّل (halayyil)	هتليّل (hatlayyil)	هيليّل (haylayyil)		هنليّل (hanlayyil)	هتليّلوا (hatlayyilu)	هيليّلوا (haylayyilu)
	f		هتليّلي (hatlayyili)	هتليّل (hatlayyil)
imperative	m		ليّل (layyil)				ليّلوا (layyilu)
	f		ليّلي (layyili)

¹ The future tense can be prefixed with either هـ (ha-) or حـ (ḥa-) depending on the speaker.

See also

• بالليل (billēl, “at night”)
• الليلادي (illilādi, “tonight”)
• نهار (nahār, “daytime”)
• يوم (yōm, “day”)
• صبح (ṣubḥ, “morning”)

Hijazi Arabic

Root
ل ي ل
1 term

Etymology 1

From Arabic لَيْل (layl).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈleːl/, [ˈle̞ːl]

Noun

ليل • (lēl) m (collective, singulative ليلة f (lēla), plural ليالي (layāli))

1. nighttime, night

Etymology 2

From French Lille.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈliːl/

Proper noun

ليل • (līl) f

1. Lille (a city in France)

Moroccan Arabic

Etymology 1

From Arabic لَيْل (layl).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /lajl/, /liːl/

• Audio:

  (file)

Noun

لَيْل or لِيل • (layl or līl) m (plural ليالي (lyāli))

1. nighttime, night

Derived terms

• ليل ونهار (layl u nhār, līl u nhar, “all day long”)

Related terms

• ليلة (layla, līla)

Etymology 2

From Arabic لِ (li). The final -l may be due to backformation from the personal forms, themselves derived by reduplication. Compare Maltese lil (“to, with”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /liːl/

Preposition

ليل • (līl)

1. for

   Synonym: ل (li)

Inflection

Inflection of ليل

base form			ليل (līl)
Personal-pronoun including forms
	singular		plural
	m	f
1st person	ليلي (līli)		ليلنا (līlna)
2nd person	ليلك (līlek)	ليلك (līlki)	ليلكم (līlkum)
3rd person	ليله (līlu)	ليلها (līlha)	ليلهم (līlhum)

South Levantine Arabic

القدس في الليل ― Jerusalem at night

Etymology

From Arabic لَيْل (layl).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /leːl/, [leːl]

• Audio (Amman):

  (file)

Noun

ليل • (lēl) m (collective, singulative ليلة f (lēle), plural ليالي (layāli))

1. night, nighttime

   Antonym: نهار (nhār)

   نصّ الليل ― noṣṣ il-lēl ― midnight

   Audio (Ramallah):

   (file)

See also

times of day: أوقات النهار (ʔawʔāt in-nhār)edit

• فجر (fajr)
• صبحية (ṣabaḥiyye)
• صبح (ṣubḥ)
• نهار (nhār)
• ضهر (ḍuhr)
• عصر (ʕaṣr)
• مغرب (maḡreb)
• مسا (masa)
• ليل (lēl)