لعب

Root entry · 26 derived lemmas

The root 'لعب' (laʿiba) primarily denotes play, amusement, and sport. It extends to meanings of idle activity, distraction, and even a lack of serious purpose or direction. Figuratively, it can describe the unpredictable movement of waves or the mischievous actions of Satan.

Derived headwords

لَعِبَverb

1.
to playboth
To engage in playful activity, amusement, or sport.
2.
to be tossed aboutclassical
Used to describe being moved uncontrollably, like by waves.
3.
to act aimlesslyclassical
To do something without achieving a useful or intended result.

اللَّعِبُnoun

1.
playboth
The act or state of playing; amusement, sport, or recreation.
2.
opposite of seriousnessclassical
That which is contrary to seriousness or earnestness.

لَعِبًاnoun

1.
play (masdar)both
The verbal noun of 'لعب', signifying play or amusement.

تَلَاعَبَverb

1.
to play withboth
To engage in play with someone or something, often repeatedly or back and forth.

تَلَعَّبَverb

1.
to play repeatedlyclassical
To play one time after another, emphasizing repetition.

لَاعِبٌadjective

1.
playerboth
One who plays; an active participant in a game or activity.
2.
one who acts in vainclassical
Someone who performs an action that yields no benefit.

لَعِبٌadjective

1.
playfulboth
Characterized by playfulness or amusement.

لُعْبَةٌnoun

1.
gameboth
An activity engaged in for amusement or sport, often with rules.
2.
toyboth
An object used for playing with.
3.
foolclassical
A foolish person who is made fun of.
4.
turnclassical
A period or instance of playing.
5.
type of gameclassical
A specific kind or manner of playing.

تِلْعَابٌnoun

1.
excessive playclassical
A form indicating an abundance or intensification of the source noun, referring to much play.

تِلْعَابَةٌadjective

1.
very playfulboth
Extremely playful or fond of amusement; one who plays a lot.

لُعْبَةٌnoun

1.
game pieceboth
An object used in a game, such as chess or dice.
2.
imageclassical
A representation or figure.

مَلْعَبٌnoun

1.
playgroundboth
A place where children play.
2.
place of playclassical
An area designated for playing games or activities.

مَلَاعِبُnoun

1.
playgroundsboth
Plural of ملعب, referring to multiple places of play.
2.
paths of the windclassical
The routes or directions taken by the wind.
3.
place of distractionclassical
A place where one is lost or uncertain of their location.

أَلْعَبَverb

1.
to make playclassical
To cause someone, especially a woman, to play.
2.
to provide something to play withclassical
To bring something that a person or child can play with.
3.
to droolclassical
To have saliva flow from the mouth, especially for a child.

لُعَابٌnoun

1.
salivaboth
The fluid secreted in the mouth, especially that of a child.
2.
venomclassical
The poisonous fluid of snakes or insects.
3.
honeyclassical
The sweet substance produced by bees from nectar.
4.
sun's heat effectclassical
A shimmering effect seen in the air during intense heat, like threads or mirages.

لَعُوبٌadjective

1.
playfulboth
Given to play and amusement; lively.
2.
charming in demeanorclassical
Having an attractive and playful manner.

مُلْعَبَةٌnoun

1.
child's garmentclassical
A garment without sleeves, in which a child plays.

أَلْعُوبَةٌnoun

1.
toyboth
An object used for playing.
2.
object of playclassical
Something that is played with.

لَعِبَnoun

1.
play (masdar)both
The act of playing or amusement.

لَعِبَةٌnoun

1.
type of gameclassical
A particular kind or manner of playing.

مُلَاعِبُ الظِّلِّname

1.
a type of birdclassical
A desert bird, also called 'khaṭif ẓillih', known for its swift movement.

مُلَاعِبُ الْأَسِنَّةِname

1.
a nicknameclassical
A nickname for 'Amir ibn Malik ibn Ja'far ibn Kilab, meaning 'the one who plays with spearheads'.

مُلَاعِبُ الرِّمَاحِname

1.
a nicknameclassical
A poetic variation of 'mulāʿib al-asinnah', meaning 'the one who plays with spears'.

اللُّعَابُnoun

1.
salivaclassical
Fluid from the mouth, especially of a horse.

اسْتِلْعَابٌnoun

1.
late fruitingclassical
The phenomenon in date palms where some fruit appears after the main harvest.

اللَّعْبَاءُname

1.
a place nameclassical
A known salt flat ('sabkha') located near the sea in the Bahrain region.

Parallel reading

ضد الجد، لعب يلعب لعبا ولعبا، ولعب، وتلاعب، وتلعب مرة بعد أخرى

Opposite of seriousness, he played, plays, playing and playing, and played, and played with, and played repeatedly one after another.

صادفنا البحر حين اغتلم، فلعب بنا الموج شهرا

We encountered the sea when it was turbulent, and the waves tossed us about for a month.

سمى اضطراب الموج لعبا، لما لم يسر بهم إلى الوجه الذي أرادوه.

The turbulence of the waves was called 'laʿib' because it did not carry them in the direction they intended.

ويقال لكل من عمل عملا لا يجدي عليه نفعا: إنما أنت لاعب.

And it is said of anyone who does an action that yields no benefit: 'You are merely a player (one who acts in vain)'.

إن الشيطان يلعب بمقاعد بني آدم أي أنه يحضر أمكنة الاستنجاء ويرصدها بالأذى والفساد

Indeed, Satan plays with the places of evacuation of the children of Adam, meaning he attends the places of cleansing and watches them with harm and corruption.

والتلعاب: اللعب، صيغة تدل على تكثير المصدر

And 'al-tilʿāb' is play, a form indicating the intensification of the source noun.

ورجل لاعب ولعب ولعب، على ما يطرد في هذا النحو، وتلعاب وتلعابة، وتلعاب وتلعابة

And a man is 'lāʿib', 'laʿib', and 'luʿab', according to the pattern in this manner, and 'tilʿāb' and 'tilʿābah', and 'tilʿāb' and 'tilʿābah'.

وتلعابتي، عن ريبة الجار، أجنب

And my playful engagement, from suspicion of the neighbor, I avoid.

وفي حديث علي، رضي الله عنه: زعم ابن النابغة أني تلعابة

And in the narration of Ali, may God be pleased with him: Ibn al-Nābighah claimed that I am 'tilʿābah' (very playful).

ورجل لعبة: كثير اللعب.

And a man is 'luʿbah': one who plays a lot.

ولاعه ملاعبة ولعابا: لعب معه

And he played with him, 'mulāʿabah' and 'luʿāb': he played with him.

ما لك وللعذارى ولعابها؟

What do you have to do with young girls and their playfulness (or saliva)?

لا يأخذن أحدكم متاع أخيه لاعبا جادا

Let none of you take his brother's belongings playfully (while intending seriousness).

ألعب المرأة: جعلها تلعب.

To 'alʿaba' a woman: to make her play.

قد بت ألعبها وهنا وتلعبني

I spent the night making her play here, and she played with me.

والملعبة: ثوب لا كم له «3»، يلعب فيه الصبي.

And 'al-malʿabah': a garment without sleeves, in which the child plays.

واللعاب: الذي حرفته اللعب.

And 'al-luggāb': one whose profession is play.

وبينهم ألعوبة، من اللعب.

And between them is a toy, from play.

واللعبة: الأحمق الذي يسخر به، ويلعب، ويطرد عليه باب.

And 'al-luʿbah': the fool who is mocked and played with, and a pattern is applied to him.

واللعبة: نوبة اللعب.

And 'al-luʿbah': the turn of play.

واللعبة، بالكسر: نوع من اللعب.

And 'al-luʿbah', with kasra: a type of play.

واللعبة: جرم ما يلعب به كالشطرنج ونحوه.

And 'al-luʿbah': the object with which one plays, like chess and its like.

واللعبة: التمثال.

And 'al-luʿbah': the statue.

ما رأيت لك لعبة أحسن من هذه

I have not seen a better 'luʿbah' (game piece or representation) for you than this.

والنرد لعبة، وكل ملعوب به، فهو لعبة، لأنه اسم.

And dice are a 'luʿbah', and everything that is played with is a 'luʿbah', because it is a noun.

اقعد حتى أفرغ من هذه اللعبة.

Sit until I finish with this game.

ولعبت الريح بالمنزل: درسته.

And the wind played with the house: it eroded it.

وملاعب الريح: مدارجها.

And 'malāʿib al-rīḥ': its paths.

وترکته في ملاعب الجن أي حيث لا يدرى أين هو.

And I left him in the 'malāʿib al-jinn' (playgrounds of the jinn), meaning where one does not know where he is.

يقال للاثنين: ملاعبا ظلهما، وللثلاثة: ملاعبات أظلالهن

For two, it is said: 'mulāʿibā ẓillahumā', and for three: 'mulāʿibāt aẓlālihinna'.

لو أن حيا مدرك الفلاح، أدركه ملاعب الرماح

If any people were to achieve success, 'mulāʿib al-rimāḥ' (the spear-player) would achieve it.

وطاب عن اللعاب نفسا وربة

And the horse 'al-Luʿāb' was pleasing in spirit and lordliness.

من ديارات العرب: حيث يلعبون، الواحد ملعب.

From the monasteries of the Arabs: where they play, the singular is 'malʿab'.

ولعب يلعب، ولعب، وألعب: سال لعابه، والأولى أعلى.

'Laʿiba' plays, and 'laʿiba', and 'alʿaba': his saliva flowed, and the first is more common.

لعبت على أكتافهم وحجورهم وليدا، وسموني لبيدا وعاصما

I played as a child on their shoulders and laps, and they named me Labīd and ʿĀṣim.

وثغر ملعوب أي ذو لعاب.

And a mouth is 'malʿūb', meaning having saliva.

وقيل لعب الرجل: سال لعابه، وألعب: صار له لعاب يسيل من فمه.

And it is said 'laʿiba' for a man: his saliva flowed, and 'alʿaba': he developed saliva that flowed from his mouth.

ولعاب الحية والجراد: سمهما.

And the 'luʿāb' of the snake and the locust: their venom.

ولعاب النحل: ما يعسله، وهو العسل.

And the 'luʿāb' of the bee: what it makes into honey, which is honey.

ولعاب الشمس: شيء تراه كأنه ينحدر من السماء إذا حميت وقام قائم الظهيرة

And the 'luʿāb al-shams': something you see as if it descends from the sky when it is hot and the zenith is reached.

لعاب الشمس هو الذي يقال له مخاط الشيطان، وهو السهام، بفتح السين، ويقال له: ريق الشمس

The 'luʿāb al-shams' is what is called the devil's mucus, which is 'al-sihām' (with fatha on the sin), and it is also called the sun's saliva.

إنما السراب الذي يرى كأنه ماء جار نصف النهار

Indeed, the mirage is what is seen as if it is running water at midday.

وقيل: لعاب الشمس ما تراه في شدة الحر مثل نسج العنكبوت؛ ويقال: هو السراب.

And it is said: 'luʿāb al-shams' is what you see in intense heat like a spider's web; and it is said: it is the mirage.

والاستلعاب في النخل: أن ينبت فيه شيء من البسر، بعد الصرام.

And 'al-istilʿāb' in date palms: is for some unripe dates ('busr') to grow on it after the harvest.

ألحقت ما استلعبت بالذي قد أنى، إذ حان وقت الصرام

I joined what had late fruited with what was ripe, as the time for harvest had come.

واللعباء: سبخة معروفة بناحية البحرين، بحذاء القطيف، وسيف البحر.

And 'al-Laʿbāʾ': a known salt flat in the region of Bahrain, opposite Al-Qaṭīf and the seashore.

تروحنا من اللعباء قصرا، وأعجلنا إلاهة أن تؤوبا

We returned from Al-Laʿbāʾ quickly, and we hastened the sun goddess before she could return.