عل

2 تَعْلِيلٌ ذ signifies The giving to drink after giving to drink. (S.) See 4. [And see also 1, first sentence.] ― -b2- And The plucking fruit one time after another. (S.) ― -b3- And عللّٰهُ بِهِ, (S, O, K,) inf. n. as above (K) [and تَعِلَّةٌ, q. v.], He diverted, or occupied, him [ so as to render him contented ] with it; (S, O, K;) namely, a thing, (S, O,) or food, &c., (K, TA,) as, for instance, discourse, and the like; (TA;) like as the child is diverted, or occupied, with somewhat of food, by which he is rendered contented to be restrained from milk. (S, O, TA. *) One says, فُلَانٌ يُعَلِّلُ نَفْسَهُ بِتَعِلَّةٍ [ Such a one diverts, or occupies, himself, so as to render himself contented, with something diverting ]. (S, O.) [See also مُعَلِّلٌ. And see 5.] -A2- Also The assigning a cause: and the asserting a cause. (KL.) [One says, عللّٰهُ بِكَذَا He accounted for it by assigning as the cause such a thing: and he asserted it to be caused by such a thing. ]