Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon

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أَفِيلٌ

Root: افل

Full Definition

أَفِيلٌ A young camel such as is termed اِبْنُ مَخَاضٍ [i. e. that has entered its second year]; and the like; or, and also such as is above this [in age]; or, and also such as is termed اِبْنُ لَبُونٍ [i. e. that has entered the third year]; beyond which it is not so called: or that is seven months old, or eight: or a youthful camel: and also a young weaned camel; syn. فَصِيلٌّ: fem. with ة: pl. إِفَالٌ and أَفَائِلُ, which latter they liken to ذَنَائِبُ as pl. of ذنُوبٌ. [In my copy of the Msb, the pl. is said to be إفالة: and it is also there said, on the authority of IF, that افالة signifies the young ones of sheep.] It is said in a prov., إِنَّمَا القَرْمِ مِنَ الأَفِيلِ [The stallion-camel is only that which has increased in growth from the young one in its second year, &c.]; i. e. what is great has begun small.
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