سَفَلَ

Form: 1

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سَفَلَI , Present.T ـُ; and سَفُلَ, Present.T ـُ; and سَفِلَ, Present.T ـَ; Verbal.Noun سُفُولٌ and سَفَالٌ (M, MA, K, TA, in the CK [erroneously] سِفال,) and of the second سَفَالَةٌ and تسفّل ; He, or it, was, or became, low; the first contr. of عَلَا and the third, of عَلِىَ; and both are said of a man; سُفُولٌ and سَفَالٌ being the contr. of عُلُوٌّ and عَلآءٌ: or became lower than another: [and] the first signifies it descended, subsided, or sank downwards. Hence the phrase بِنْتُ بِنْتِ بِنْتٍ وَإِنْ سَفَلَتْ [A daughter of a daughter of a daughter, and if she be lower in descent]: سَفُلَتْ i. e. with damm to the ف, in this case, is a mistake. And سَفَلَتْ مَنْزِلَتُهُ عِنْدَ الأَمِيرِ [His station with, or in the estimation of, the commander, governor, or prince, was, or became, low, or lower]. And أَمْرُهُمْ فِىسَفَالٍ [Their case is in a low state]. And سَفَلَ فِىالشّىْءِ, (K, * TA, [in the former of which the context implies that it is سَفُلَ, but it is]) like نَصَرَ, [Present.T ـُ] Verbal.Noun سُفُولٌ, [It subsided in the thing;] it descended from the upper, or uppermost, part of the thing, to the lower, or lowest, part thereof.
2 And سَفُلَ, [Present.T ـُ] Verbal.Noun سَفَالَةٌ and سَفَالِيَةٌ and سُفْلٌ, He was, or became, low, base, vile, ignoble, mean, or sordid; as also سَفَلَ, with fet-h, or سَفِلَ. You say, سَفَلَ, like قَتَلَ, or سَفُلَ, like كَرُمَ, فِى خُلُقِهِ, and عَمَلِهِ, and نَسَبِهِ, [Present.T in either case ـُ] Verbal.Noun سَفْلٌ and سُفْلٌ and سِفَالٌ, the last like كِتَابٌ; [and app. سَفِلَ also accord. to the MA, as shown above;] and تسفّل , and ; He was low, base, vile, ignoble, or mean, in his lot, [or, as seems to be indicated in the Msb, inferior to others,] in respect of his disposition, and his deed, and his lineage: تسفّل is the contr. of جَادَ.

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