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 (usually 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

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)