ابل

أَبِيلٌ ذ (assumed tropical:) A Christian monk; (S M, Msb, K;) so called because of his abstaining (لِتَأَبُلِهِ) from women: (TA:) or the chief monk: (T:) or a derotee: (TA:) or an old man, or elder: (M:) or the chief, or head-man, of the Christians: (M, K:) or the man who calls them to prayer by means of the نَاقُوس; (A Heyth, M, * K;) the beater of the ناقوس: (IDrd:) as also ↓ أَيْبَلِىٌّ, (M and K, but according to the M as meaning “ a monk, ”) which is either a foreign word, or changed by the relative ى, or of the same class as اـِنْقَحْلٌ [in which the first letter as well as th second is augmentative], for Sb says that there is not in the language an instance of the measure فَيْعَلٌ; (M;) and ↓ أَيْبُلِىٌّ, and هَيْبَلِىٌّ, and ↓ أَبُلِىٌّ and ↓ أَيْبَلٌ, (K,) which last is disallowed by Sb for the reason stated above; (TA;) and ↓ أَيْبُلٌ like أَيْنُقٌ; and ↓ أَيْبِلِىٌّ; (K;) the last with fet-h to the hemzeh, and kesr to the ب, and with the [first] ى quiescent; or أَيْبَلِىٌّ [app. a mistranscription for أَيْبِلِىٌّ] is used by poetic licence for ↓ أَبِيلِىٌّ, like أَيْنُقٌ for أَنْوُقٌ: (TA:) pl. اآبَالٌ (M, K) and أُبْلٌ, or أُبُلٌ, [accord. to different copies of the K,] with damm [which indicates that the former is meant, though it is irregular]. (K.) By أَبِيلٌ الأَبِيلِينَ is meant 'Eesà [or Jesus ], (S, K,) the Messiah. (S.) ― -b2- In the Syriac language it signifies Mourning, or sorrowing. (K.) -A2- Also A staff, or stick. (M, K.) ― -b2- See also اـِبَالَةٌ.