بل

See also: تل, پل, and بِل

Arabic

Etymology 1

Conjunction

بَلْ • (bal)

1. (after a negative) but; rather

   لَا يَكْرَهُهَا، بَل يُحِبُّهَا

   lā yakrahuhā, bal yuḥibbuhā

   He doesn’t hate her, but rather loves her.

2. (after an affirmative) used to cancel what precedes it and confirm what follows it

   جَاءَتْ سُعَادُ، بَلْ سَلْمَى

   jāʔat suʕādu, bal salmā

   It wasn't Su'ad that came, but rather Salma.

Synonyms

• (but, rather): لٰكِنْ (lākin)

Derived terms

• بَلْ وَ (bal wa)

Descendants

• → Classical Persian: بَلْکِه (balki)
  • → Armenian: բալքի (balkʻi)
  • → Old Anatolian Turkish: بلكه (bälki)
    • Azerbaijani: bəlkə (“maybe, perhaps”)
    • Khalaj: bəlki (“maybe, perhaps”)
    • Ottoman Turkish: بلكه (“certainly, beyond any doubt; even; perhaps”)
      • Turkish: belki (“maybe, perhaps”)
      • → Crimean Tatar: belki (“maybe, perhaps”)
      • → Hijazi Arabic: بلكن (balkin, “maybe, perhaps”), بلكي (balki) (archaic)
      • → South Levantine Arabic: بلكي (balki, “perhaps”), بلكن (balken), بركي (barki)
      • → Libyan Arabic: بلكي (balki, “perhaps”)
      • → Cypriot Arabic: perki (“maybe, perhaps”)
      • → Laz: ბექითა (bekita), ბეჩი (beçi) — Atina, ბექი (beki) — Arkabi, ბელქი (belki) — Batumi
      • → Macedonian: белки (belki, “perhaps, possibly”), белким (belkim, “perhaps, possibly”)
      • → Zazaki: belki (“maybe, perhaps”)
  • → Hindustani:

    Hindi: बल्कि (balki)

    Urdu: بلکہ (balki, “but”)

    • → Phalura: bálki (“but”)
  • → Chagatai:
    • Uyghur: بەلكى (belki, “maybe, perhaps”)
    • Uzbek: balki (“maybe, perhaps”)
  • → Bashkir: бәлки (bəlki, “maybe, perhaps”)
  • → Kazakh: бәлки (bälki), бәлкім (bälkım, “maybe, perhaps”)
  • → Kyrgyz: балки (balki), балким (balkim, “maybe, perhaps”)

Etymology 2

Root
ب ل ل (b l l)
7 terms

Verb

بَلَّ • (balla) I (non-past يَبُلُّ (yabullu), verbal noun بَلّ (ball) or بِلَّة (billa))

1. to moisten, to wet, to sprinkle

Conjugation

    Conjugation of بَلَّ (I, geminate, a ~ u, full passive, verbal nouns بَلّ, بِلَّة)

verbal noun الْمَصْدَر						بَلّ, بِلَّة ball, billa
active participle اِسْم الْفَاعِل						بَالّ bāll
passive participle اِسْم الْمَفْعُول						مَبْلُول mablūl
active voice الْفِعْل الْمَعْلُوم
		singular الْمُفْرَد				dual الْمُثَنَّى			plural الْجَمْع
		1st person الْمُتَكَلِّم	2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب		2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب		1st person الْمُتَكَلِّم	2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب
past (perfect) indicative الْمَاضِي	m	بَلَلْتُ balaltu	بَلَلْتَ balalta	بَلَّ balla		بَلَلْتُمَا balaltumā	بَلَّا ballā		بَلَلْنَا balalnā	بَلَلْتُمْ balaltum	بَلُّوا ballū
	f		بَلَلْتِ balalti	بَلَّتْ ballat			بَلَّتَا ballatā			بَلَلْتُنَّ balaltunna	بَلَلْنَ balalna
non-past (imperfect) indicative الْمُضَارِع الْمَرْفُوع	m	أَبُلُّ ʔabullu	تَبُلُّ tabullu	يَبُلُّ yabullu		تَبُلَّانِ tabullāni	يَبُلَّانِ yabullāni		نَبُلُّ nabullu	تَبُلُّونَ tabullūna	يَبُلُّونَ yabullūna
	f		تَبُلِّينَ tabullīna	تَبُلُّ tabullu			تَبُلَّانِ tabullāni			تَبْلُلْنَ tablulna	يَبْلُلْنَ yablulna
subjunctive الْمُضَارِع الْمَنْصُوب	m	أَبُلَّ ʔabulla	تَبُلَّ tabulla	يَبُلَّ yabulla		تَبُلَّا tabullā	يَبُلَّا yabullā		نَبُلَّ nabulla	تَبُلُّوا tabullū	يَبُلُّوا yabullū
	f		تَبُلِّي tabullī	تَبُلَّ tabulla			تَبُلَّا tabullā			تَبْلُلْنَ tablulna	يَبْلُلْنَ yablulna
jussive الْمُضَارِع الْمَجْزُوم	m	أَبُلَّ, أَبُلِّ, أَبْلُلْ ʔabulla, ʔabulli, ʔablul	تَبُلَّ, تَبُلِّ, تَبْلُلْ tabulla, tabulli, tablul	يَبُلَّ, يَبُلِّ, يَبْلُلْ yabulla, yabulli, yablul		تَبُلَّا tabullā	يَبُلَّا yabullā		نَبُلَّ, نَبُلِّ, نَبْلُلْ nabulla, nabulli, nablul	تَبُلُّوا tabullū	يَبُلُّوا yabullū
	f		تَبُلِّي tabullī	تَبُلَّ, تَبُلِّ, تَبْلُلْ tabulla, tabulli, tablul			تَبُلَّا tabullā			تَبْلُلْنَ tablulna	يَبْلُلْنَ yablulna
imperative الْأَمْر	m		بُلَّ, بُلِّ, اُبْلُلْ bulla, bulli, ublul			بُلَّا bullā				بُلُّوا bullū
	f		بُلِّي bullī							اُبْلُلْنَ ublulna
passive voice الْفِعْل الْمَجْهُول
		singular الْمُفْرَد				dual الْمُثَنَّى			plural الْجَمْع
		1st person الْمُتَكَلِّم	2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب		2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب		1st person الْمُتَكَلِّم	2nd person الْمُخَاطَب	3rd person الْغَائِب
past (perfect) indicative الْمَاضِي	m	بُلِلْتُ buliltu	بُلِلْتَ bulilta	بُلَّ bulla		بُلِلْتُمَا buliltumā	بُلَّا bullā		بُلِلْنَا bulilnā	بُلِلْتُمْ buliltum	بُلُّوا bullū
	f		بُلِلْتِ bulilti	بُلَّتْ bullat			بُلَّتَا bullatā			بُلِلْتُنَّ buliltunna	بُلِلْنَ bulilna
non-past (imperfect) indicative الْمُضَارِع الْمَرْفُوع	m	أُبَلُّ ʔuballu	تُبَلُّ tuballu	يُبَلُّ yuballu		تُبَلَّانِ tuballāni	يُبَلَّانِ yuballāni		نُبَلُّ nuballu	تُبَلُّونَ tuballūna	يُبَلُّونَ yuballūna
	f		تُبَلِّينَ tuballīna	تُبَلُّ tuballu			تُبَلَّانِ tuballāni			تُبْلَلْنَ tublalna	يُبْلَلْنَ yublalna
subjunctive الْمُضَارِع الْمَنْصُوب	m	أُبَلَّ ʔuballa	تُبَلَّ tuballa	يُبَلَّ yuballa		تُبَلَّا tuballā	يُبَلَّا yuballā		نُبَلَّ nuballa	تُبَلُّوا tuballū	يُبَلُّوا yuballū
	f		تُبَلِّي tuballī	تُبَلَّ tuballa			تُبَلَّا tuballā			تُبْلَلْنَ tublalna	يُبْلَلْنَ yublalna
jussive الْمُضَارِع الْمَجْزُوم	m	أُبَلَّ, أُبَلِّ, أُبْلَلْ ʔuballa, ʔuballi, ʔublal	تُبَلَّ, تُبَلِّ, تُبْلَلْ tuballa, tuballi, tublal	يُبَلَّ, يُبَلِّ, يُبْلَلْ yuballa, yuballi, yublal		تُبَلَّا tuballā	يُبَلَّا yuballā		نُبَلَّ, نُبَلِّ, نُبْلَلْ nuballa, nuballi, nublal	تُبَلُّوا tuballū	يُبَلُّوا yuballū
	f		تُبَلِّي tuballī	تُبَلَّ, تُبَلِّ, تُبْلَلْ tuballa, tuballi, tublal			تُبَلَّا tuballā			تُبْلَلْنَ tublalna	يُبْلَلْنَ yublalna

References

• Lane, Edward William (1863) “بل”, in Arabic-English Lexicon‎^[1], London: Williams & Norgate
• Steingass, Francis Joseph (1884) “بل”, in The Student's Arabic–English Dictionary‎^[2], London: W.H. Allen

Etymology 3

Noun

بَلّ • (ball) m

1. verbal noun of بَلَّ (balla) (form I)

Declension

Declension of noun بَلّ (ball)

Singular	basic singular triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	بَلّ ball	الْبَلّ al-ball	بَلّ ball
Nominative	بَلٌّ ballun	الْبَلُّ al-ballu	بَلُّ ballu
Accusative	بَلًّا ballan	الْبَلَّ al-balla	بَلَّ balla
Genitive	بَلٍّ ballin	الْبَلِّ al-balli	بَلِّ balli

References

• Steingass, Francis Joseph (1884) “بل”, in The Student's Arabic–English Dictionary‎^[3], London: W.H. Allen

Brahui

A man carrying a bow and arrow

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Dravidian *wil. Cognate with Kannada ಬಿಲ್ಲು (billu), Tamil வில் (vil), Telugu విల్లు (villu) and Malayalam വില്ല് (villŭ).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bil/

Noun

بِل (bil)

1. bow

Derived terms

• بِلْسُم (bilsum, “bow and arrows; rainbow”), بِلَسُم (bilasum)
• بِلِیف (bilīf, “pregnant”)
• بِل جَابَہ (bil jāba, “bow and quiver”)
• بِلُم (bilum, “neck-rope, halter”)

References

• Bray, Denys (1934) “bil”, in The Brahui Language‎^[4], Calcutta, India: Superintendent Government Printing, Part II: The Brāhūī Problem; Part III: Etymological Vocabulary, page 73
• Burrow, T., Emeneau, M. B. (1984) “5422”, in A Dravidian etymological dictionary, 2nd edition, Oxford University Press, →ISBN.

Bulgar

Etymology

From Proto-Turkic *bōl-.

Verb

بَلْ (bal)

1. (Volga Bulgar) to become

   وَفَاتِ بَلطُوي تَارِيحَ جيَاتِ جُور جيَارمِنشِ جَال مُحَرَم اَيخِ بَلنجِ كُوَان اَتِ ― Wafâti baltuwi târîxa çyêti çü:r çyêrmişi çâl Muharem ayxi belinçi küwên eti. ― The day he has died was in fifth day of Muharrem month of seven hundred twentieth year.

   تارِ[يج] جياتِ جور الُو وَجم جال شول [اَيخ] ون بيَالم كوان وفاتِ بلت ― Târi[yxa] çyeti çü:r el(l)üw weçim çâl Şawal [ayxi] wan byêlim küwên wafâti balti. ― He has died in the date of fifteenth day of the Şawal month of the seven hundred fifty thirth year.

   خير كون ارلا سعة وفات بالج ― Xayr küwen erle sa'at wafâti bâlçi. ― He has died at early time on the charity day.

   رحمه الله رحمه واسعه بلطر ― Rahmatullâhi rahmat wâsiatan baltur. ― God mercy on him. Amen.

Derived terms

• بلطر (balt'ur, “amen”)

Descendants

• Chuvash: пул (pul)

References

• İbrahim ARIKAN, İdil Bulgar Kitâbelerinde Geçen “BALTUR” Sözcüğü Üzerine, Ankara Üniversitesi Dil ve Tarih-Coğrafya Fakültesi Türkoloji Dergisi 21, 1 (2014) 15-24
• Tekin, Talât (1988) Volga Bulgar kitabeleri ve Volga Bulgarcası [Volga Bulgarian Ephitaphs and Volga Bulgarian Language]‎^[5] (in Turkish), Ankara: Türk Tarih Kurumu Basımevi, →ISBN, pages 74-75, 92-93, 104
• Erdal, Marcel (1993) Die Sprache der wolgabolgarischen Inschriften (in German), Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, →ISBN, pages 36, 42, 163
• İbragimova, G. (2021) татарская эпиграфическая традиция [Tatar Epigraphic Tradition] (in Russian), Kazan: Академия Наук Республики Татарстан Институт Языка, Литературы и Искусства, →ISBN, pages 46-47

Ottoman Turkish

Etymology 1

Inherited from Proto-Turkic *bẹ̄l(k) (“waist”); cognate with Old Turkic 𐰋𐰃𐰠 (b²il² /⁠bél⁠/), Azerbaijani bel, Bashkir бил (bil), Kazakh бел (bel), Kyrgyz бел (bel), Turkmen bil, Uyghur بەل (bel), Uzbek bel and Yakut биил (biil).

Noun

بل • (bel) (definite accusative بلی (beli), plural بللر (beller))

1. waist, the part of the body between the pelvis and the stomach

   Synonyms: خصر (hasr), میان (meyan)

2. loin, lumbus, the part of the body at each side of the backbone

   Synonym: میان (meyan)

3. small of the back, the relatively narrow, lumbar region of the back

Derived terms

• بل آغریسی (bel ağrısı, “pain in the back”)
• بل باغلامق (bel bağlamak, “to prepare for an undertaking”)
• بل بوكلمك (bel bükilmek, “to be conquered in a contest”)
• بل صوغوقلغی (bel soğukluğu, “gonorrohea”)
• بل كمیكی (bel kemiği, “backbone, spine”)
• بل ویرمك (bel virmek, “to sag, to bulge”)
• بللو (belli, “possessed of a waist”)

 

Descendants

• Turkish: bel

Further reading

click to expand

• Çağbayır, Yaşar (2007) “bel3”, in Ötüken Türkçe Sözlük (in Turkish), volume 1, Istanbul: Ötüken Neşriyat, page 532
• Hindoglu, Artin (1838) “بل”, in Hazine-i lûgat ou dictionnaire abrégé turc-français‎^[6], Vienna: F. Beck, page 123b
• Kélékian, Diran (1911) “بل”, in Dictionnaire turc-français‎^[7], Constantinople: Mihran, page 274
• Meninski, Franciszek à Mesgnien (1687) “Lumbus”, in Complementum thesauri linguarum orientalium, seu onomasticum latino-turcico-arabico-persicum, simul idem index verborum lexici turcico-arabico-persici, quod latinâ, germanicâ, aliarumque linguarum adjectâ nomenclatione nuper in lucem editum‎^[8], Vienna, column 980
• Meninski, Franciszek à Mesgnien (1680) “بل”, in Thesaurus linguarum orientalium, Turcicae, Arabicae, Persicae, praecipuas earum opes à Turcis peculiariter usurpatas continens, nimirum Lexicon Turkico-Arabico-Persicum‎^[9], Vienna, column 867
• Nişanyan, Sevan (2002–) “bel”, in Nişanyan Sözlük
• Redhouse, James W. (1890) “بل”, in A Turkish and English Lexicon‎^[10], Constantinople: A. H. Boyajian, page 378

Etymology 2

Noun

بل • (bel)

1. Alternative spelling of بیل (bil, “spade”)

Further reading

click to expand

• Çağbayır, Yaşar (2007) “bel7”, in Ötüken Türkçe Sözlük (in Turkish), volume 1, Istanbul: Ötüken Neşriyat, page 534
• Kélékian, Diran (1911) “بل”, in Dictionnaire turc-français‎^[11], Constantinople: Mihran, page 274
• Meninski, Franciszek à Mesgnien (1680) “بل”, in Thesaurus linguarum orientalium, Turcicae, Arabicae, Persicae, praecipuas earum opes à Turcis peculiariter usurpatas continens, nimirum Lexicon Turkico-Arabico-Persicum‎^[12], Vienna, column 867
• Redhouse, James W. (1890) “بل”, in A Turkish and English Lexicon‎^[13], Constantinople: A. H. Boyajian, page 378

Pashto

Etymology

From Proto-Pathan *bəδ, *bəδá, from an ancestral Middle Iranian form *bidá, from Proto-Iranian *dwitáh.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bəl/

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

بل • (bəl)

1. other
2. next

Declension

declension of بل

	masculine			feminine
	singular	plural		singular	plural
direct	بل (bəl)	بل (bəl)		بله (bəla)	بلې (bəle)
oblique	بل (bəl)	بلو (bəlo)		بلې (bəle)	بلو (bəlo)
vocative	بله (bəla)	بلو (bəlo)		بلې (bəle)	بلو (bəlo)

Persian

Noun

بل • (bol)

1. (Sistani) bubble

South Levantine Arabic

Root
ب ل ل
3 terms

Etymology

From Arabic بَلَّ (balla).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bal/, [bal]

• Audio (al-Lidd):

  (file)

Verb

بلّ • (ball) I (present ببلّ (bibill))

1. to make wet, to moisten

   Antonyms: نشّف (naššaf), جفّف (jaffaf)

Conjugation

Conjugation of بلّ (ball)
		singular				plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person		1st person	2nd person	3rd person
past	m	بلّيت (ballēt)	بلّيت (ballēt)	بلّ (ball)		بلّينا (ballēna)	بلّيتو (ballētu)	بلّو (ballu)
	f		بلّيتي (ballēti)	بلّت (ballat)
present	m	ببلّ (babill)	بتبلّ (bitbill)	ببلّ (bibill)		منبلّ (minbill)	بتبلّو (bitbillu)	ببلّو (bibillu)
	f		بتبلّي (bitbilli)	بتبلّ (bitbill)
subjunctive	m	ابلّ (abill)	تبلّ (tbill)	يبلّ (ybill)		نبلّ (nbill)	تبلّو (tbillu)	يبلّو (ybillu)
	f		تبلّي (tbilli)	تبلّ (tbill)
imperative	m		بلّ (bill)				بلّو (billu)
	f		بلّي (billi)

Southwestern Fars

Noun

بل (bāl, ba:l)

1. (Kuzarg) snow

Urdu

Etymology

From Sanskrit बल (bala), from Proto-Indo-European *bel- (“power, strength”).

Noun

بل • (bal) m (Hindi spelling बल)

1. power
2. strength
3. might
4. vigor
5. effort
6. force
7. violence