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الـ. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
الـ, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
الـ in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
الـ you have here. The definition of the word
الـ will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
الـ, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Persian
Etymology
Borrowed from Arabic ال (al-, “the”, definite article).
Pronunciation
Particle
الـ • (al- or -l-)
- Used in certain unadapted borrowings from Arabic.
- علیٰالتحقیق ― ala-l-tahqīq/ala-l-tahqiq ― certainly, surely
- ابوالهول ― abu-l-hawl／abo-l-howl ― sphinx
- بالکل ― bi-l-kull／be-l-koll ― totally, entirely
- of; used as the equivalent of the ezâfe between Arabic borrowings to form compound words, which often do not exist in Arabic.
- بین (beyn, “between”) + الـ (-l-) + ملل (melal, “nations”) + ـی (-i) → بینالمللی (beyno-l-melali, “international”)
- حق (haqq, “wage, payment”) + الـ (-s-) + سکوت (sokut, “silence”) → حقالسکوت (haqqo-s-sokut, “hush money”)
- دستور (dastur, “rule, guideline”) + الـ (-l-) + عمل (amal, “action”) → دستورالعمل (dasturo-l-'amal, “written instructions”)
- مجمع (majma', “assembly”) + الـ (-l-) + جزایر (jazâyer, “islands”) → مجمعالجزایر (majma'o-l-jazâyer, “archipelago”)
Usage notes
- When used word-initially, the vowel of ا is pronounced as /a/.
- When used to form compound words, the letter ا becomes silent and joins the final vowel of the former word to the first consonant of the latter word. If the former word does not end with a vowel, the vowel ـُ is added (/o/ in Iranian Persian, otherwise a variation of /u/), regardless of what the vowel would actually be in Arabic. Otherwise, if the former part does end in a vowel, the final vowel is used. If the final vowel is long, it is pronounced as it's short equivalent.
- The consonant of ل assimilates to Arabic rules; see ال (al-).