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ظلع

Root entry · 4 derived lemmas

The root ظلع (ẓalʿa) primarily relates to limping or unevenness, extending metaphorically to situations of weakness, difficulty, or being burdened. It can describe physical lameness in animals and people, as well as a state of hardship or a lack of ability to cope.

Derived headwords

ظَلِعَverb
  1. 1.
    to limpboth

    To walk with a limp, exhibiting unevenness in gait.

  2. 2.
    to be narrowclassical

    Describing land that becomes constricted or narrow for its inhabitants due to overcrowding.

  3. 3.
    to become restlessclassical

    Used for a female dog (كلبة) that becomes agitated or restless.

الظَّالِعadjective
  1. 1.
    limpingboth

    One who limps, whether male or female.

  2. 2.
    suspectclassical

    One who is suspected or accused.

  3. 3.
    inclinedclassical

    One who leans or inclines, possibly due to weakness or a specific disposition.

  4. 4.
    a specific type of dogclassical

    A dog that is unable to keep pace with others, often waiting until the end to mate, or a dog that is restless and keeps others awake.

ظَلْعnoun
  1. 1.
    limpboth

    A limp or unevenness in walking.

  2. 2.
    difficultyclassical

    A state of weakness, inability, or hardship.

الظِّلَاعnoun
  1. 1.
    lamenessclassical

    A disease affecting the limbs of an animal, causing lameness, not necessarily due to exertion or fatigue.

Parallel reading

ظَلِعَ البعيرُ، كَمَنَعَ: غَمَزَ في مَشْيِهِ
The camel limped, as in 'man'a': it faltered in its gait.
والأرضُ بأهلِها: ضاقَتْ بِهِمْ لِكَثْرَتِهِمْ
And the land, with its people: it became narrow for them due to their abundance.
والكلْبَةُ: اسْتَجْعَلَتْ
And the female dog: she became restless.
والظَّالِعُ: المُتَّهَمُ، والمائِلُ، للمُذَكَّرِ والمُؤَنَّثِ
And the limping one: the suspected one, and the leaning one, for the masculine and feminine.
وفي المَثَلِ "لا يَرْبَعُ على ظَلْعِكَ مَنْ لَيْسَ يَحْزُنُهُ أمْرُكَ"
And in the proverb: 'He does not settle upon your weakness who is not saddened by your affair.'
أي لا يَهْتَمُّ لِشَأْنِكَ، أو لا يُقِيمُ عَلَيْكَ في حالِ ضَعْفِكَ إلا مَنْ يَحْزُنُهُ حالُكَ
Meaning: he does not care about your situation, or he does not stay with you in your state of weakness except he whose situation saddens him.
"ارْبَعْ على ظَلْعِكَ" أي: إنَّكَ ضَعيفٌ فانْتَهِ عَمَّا لا تُطِيقُهُ
'Settle upon your weakness' meaning: you are weak, so refrain from what you cannot bear.
"ارْقَ على ظَلْعِكَ" أي: تَكَلَّفْ ما لا تُطِيقُ
'Ascend upon your weakness' meaning: undertake what you cannot bear.
وَيُقَالُ: "قُمْ على ظَلْعِكَ": إذا كانَ بالرَّجُلِ عَيْبٌ، فأرَدْتَ زَجْرَهُ لِئَلاَّ يَذْكُرَ ذلكَ مِنْهُ
And it is said: 'Stand upon your weakness': if a man has a defect, and you want to reprimand him so that it is not mentioned about him.
وَيُقَالُ: "ارْقَ على ظَلْعِكَ"، بِكَسْرِ القافِ، أمْرٌ مِنَ الرُّقْيَةِ، كَأنَّهُ قالَ: لا ظَلْعَ بي أَرْقِيهِ وأُدَاوِيهِ
And it is said: 'Ascend upon your weakness', with a kasra on the qaf, an imperative from 'ruqyah' (healing), as if he said: I have no limp that I might heal or treat.
وفي مَثَلٍ آخَرَ: "ارْقَ على ظَلْعِكَ أنْ يُهاضا"
And in another proverb: 'Ascend upon your weakness lest they be restored.'
والظَّلاعُ: داءٌ في قوائِمِ الدَّابَّةِ لا مِنْ سَيْرٍ ولا تَعَبٍ
And al-ẓilāʿ: a disease in the legs of an animal, not from walking or fatigue.
ولا أنامُ حتَّى ينامَ ظالِعُ الكِلابِ
And I do not sleep until the limping dog sleeps.
أي لا أنامُ إلا إذا هَدَأَتِ الكِلابُ، لأنَّ ظالِعَها لا يَقْدِرُ أنْ يُعَاظِلَ مَعَ صِحَاحِهَا، فَيَنْتَظِرُ حتَّى إذا لَمْ يَبْقَ غَيْرُهُ سَفَدَ حِينَئِذٍ ثُمَّ نامَ
Meaning: I do not sleep except when the dogs are calm, because their limping one cannot mate with the healthy ones, so he waits until he is the only one left, then he mates and then sleeps.
أو الظَّالِعُ: الكَلْبُ الصَّارِفُ، وهو لا ينامُ، فَيُضْرَبُ للمُهْتَمِّ بأمْرِهِ الذي لا يَغْفُلُهُ
Or al-ẓāliʿ: the restless dog, and he does not sleep, so it is used metaphorically for one who is concerned with his affairs and does not neglect them.
أو الظَّالِعُ: الكَلْبَةُ الصَّارِفَةُ، والذُّكُورُ تَتْبَعُهَا ولا تَدَعُهَا تَنَامُ
Or al-ẓāliʿah: the restless female dog, and the males follow her and do not let her sleep.