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אל. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
אל, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
אל in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
אל you have here. The definition of the word
אל will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
אל, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Arabic
Noun
אל • (ʔāl)
- Judeo-Arabic spelling of آل (ʔāl, “family”)
c. 10th century, Saadia Gaon, Tafsir, Exodus 1:1:הדׄה אסמא בני אסראיל אלדאכׄלין אלי מצר מע יעקוב רגׄל ואלה דכׄלו׃- hāḏihi ʔasmāʔu banī ʔisrāʔīla d-dāḵilīna ʔilā miṣra maʕa yaʕqūba rajulun wa-ʔāluhu daḵalū.
- These are the names of the sons of Israel entering Egypt. With Jacob, man and his kin entered:
Hebrew
Etymology 1
From Proto-Semitic *ʾil-. Cognate with Akkadian 𒀭 (ilum), Arabic إِل (ʔil), إِلَٰه (ʔilāh), Aramaic אלה (aláh).
Pronunciation
Noun
אֵל • (el) m (plural indefinite אלים, singular construct אל־, feminine counterpart אֵלָה)
- god (a deity or supreme being; a supernatural, typically immortal, being with superior powers, to which personhood is attributed)
Declension
Proper noun
אֵל • (el) m
- God, the God of Israel.
- El, the chief deity in Canaanite religion
Derived terms
See also
Etymology 2
Etymology unclear, perhaps related to אֵל (“a god”).
Pronunciation
Noun
אֵל • (el) m
- strength; (only in the phrase יש לאל ידי (“it is in my power”)).
Etymology 3
See etymology for אייל / אַיִל.
Pronunciation
Noun
אֵל • (el) m
- defective spelling of אֵיל: singular construct state form of אַיִל (“pillar of an archway”) (Ezekiel 40:48).
Etymology 4
From Proto-Semitic *ʾila (“towards, nigh”), cognate with Akkadian 𒀀𒈾 (ana), Arabic إِلَى (ʔilā).
Pronunciation
Preposition
אֶל • (el)
- to, towards, into
- at, by
Inflection
- In Modern Hebrew, the second- and third-person plural forms are usually pronounced with leading /e/ rather than /a/.
See also
Etymology 5
Cognate with Phoenician 𐤀𐤋 (ʾl), Ugaritic 𐎀𐎍 (ảl), Akkadian 𒌑𒌌 (ul).
Pronunciation
Adverb
אַל • (ál)
- not, do not
- אַל תִּדְאַג. ― ál tid'ág. ― Don’t worry.
2014, Daniela Spektor, אגם קפוא:
Usage notes
- In the Bible, this form is followed by a verb in the jussive; in later forms of Hebrew, including Modern Hebrew, it is followed by the future tense. For example, “do not do” is in Biblical Hebrew אַל תַּעַשׂ (al tá'as) and in Modern Hebrew אַל תַּעֲשֶׂה (al ta'asé).
- In older texts, לֹא may be used instead, that is, as a negative participle followed by a jussive verb.
Further reading
Prefix
אַל • (ál)
- -less
- מָוֶת (mávet, “death”) → אַלְמָוֶת (ál'mávet, “immortality”)
- חוּט (ḥút, “wire”) → אַלְחוּטי (alḥutí, “wireless”)
Derived terms
Noun
אַל • (ál)
- naught, nothing; (only in the phrase שָׂם לְאַל (“bring to naught”)).
Anagrams