ابل

اـِبِلٌ أبال أبل أبلى اـبل ابل بال بل بلا بلي وبل (T, S, M, Msb, K, &c.,) said by Sb to be the only subst. of this form except حِبِرٌ, and to have none like it among epithets except بِلِزٌ; for though other instances are mentioned, they are not of established authority; (Msb;) but IJ mentions, with these, حِبِكٌ and اـِطِلٌ [which may be of established authority]; (TA;) [and to these may be added اـِبِطٌ and اـِبِدٌ, and perhaps نِكِحٌ and خِطِبٌ; respecting which see اـِبِدٌ;] and for اـِبِلٌ one says also ↓ اـِبلٌ, (S, Msb, K, &c.,) sometimes, by way of contraction; (S, Msb;) or this may be a dial. var. of the former; (Kr, MF;) [ Camels: and a herd of camels: or] at the least, applied to a صِرْمَة; i. e. a number [ of camels ] more than a ذَوْد [ which is at least nine, ] up to thirty; after which is the هَجْمَة, i. e. forty and upwards; and then, هُنَيْدَةُ, which is a hundred of اـِبِل: (T:) or, accord. to Ibn-'Abbád, a hundred of اـِبِل: (TA:) it is a quasi-pl. n.; (Az, S, ISd, Z, O, Msb, &c.;) a word having no proper sing.; (S, M, O, Msb;) and is of the fem. gender, because the quasi-pl. n. that has no proper sing. is necessarily fem. (S, O, Msb) when not applied to human beings, (S, O,) or when applied to irrational beings, (Msb,) and has ة added in the dim.; (S, Msb;) the dim. of اـِبِلٌ being ↓ أُبَيْلَةٌ: (S, Msb, K:) it is said in the K that it is a sing. applied to a pl. number, and is not a pl., nor a quasi-pl. n.; but in this assertion together with the saying that the dim. is as above is a kind of contradiction; for if it be a sing., and not a quasi-pl. n., what is the reason of its being fem.? (TA:) the pl. is اآبَالٌ (S, M, Msb, K) and أَبِيلٌ [like عَبِيدٌ pl. of عَبْدٌ, q. v.]; (Msb, TA;) the pl. meaning herds [ of camels ]; and in like manner أَغْنَامٌ and أَبْقَارٌ mean flocks of sheep or goats and herds of bulls or cows: (Msb, TA:) and the dual, اـِبلَانِ, means two herds [ of camels ], (Sb, T, S, M, Msb,) each with its pastor; (T;) like as غَنَمَانِ means two flocks of sheep or goats: (S:) or, accord. to Ibn-'Abbád, the dual means two hundreds of اـِبِل. (TA.) ― -b2- الاـِبِلُ الصُّغْرَى [ The smaller camels ] is an appellation applied to sheep; because they eat more than goats. (IAar in TA art. ضبط.) ― -b3- It is said in the Kur [lxxxviii. 17], أَفَلَا يَنْظُرُونَ اـِلَى ا@لْاـِبِلِ كَيْفَ خُلِقَتْ, meaning, accord. to 'Aboo-Amr Ibn-El- 'Alà, (T, TA,) (tropical:) [ Will they not then consider ] the clouds that bear the water for rain, [how they are created? ] (T, K, TA:) but accord. to him who reads الاـِبْلِ, the meaning is, the camels. (T, TA.)