س ع ل

Root entry · 20 derived lemmas

This root primarily concerns the act of coughing, its causes, and related physical sensations. It extends metaphorically to describe unpleasant or aggressive behavior, and also refers to specific mythical creatures and plants.

Derived headwords

سَعَلَverb

1.
to coughboth
To expel air and sometimes mucus from the lungs with a sudden, noisy expulsion.
2.
to be energeticclassical
To be active and vigorous, especially in reference to a horse.

سُعَالٌnoun

1.
coughboth
The act or sound of coughing; a condition characterized by coughing.
2.
coughing up bloodclassical
Expelling blood from the chest, often due to a severe cough.

رماه فسعل الدم، أي ألقاه من صدره — He coughed up blood, meaning he expelled it from his chest.

سُعْلَةٌnoun

1.
coughboth
A cough, often referring to a persistent or noticeable one.

وبه سعلة — And he had a cough.

سُعْلَةٌnoun

1.
coughingclassical
The act of coughing, described as a natural reflex to expel irritants from the lungs.

حركة تدفع بها الطبيعة أذى عن الرئة — A movement by which nature expels harm from the lung.

قَصَبُ السُّعَالِnoun

1.
windpipeclassical
Literally 'the reed of coughing', referring to the trachea or windpipe, as it is the passage for coughing.

يقال لعروق الرئة: قصب السعال — The airways of the lung are called 'qasab al-su'al'.

سَاعِلٌadjective

1.
coughing intenselyclassical
Intensely coughing; a hyperbolic form, like 'shaghal shaghiil' (a preoccupying occupation).
2.
energeticclassical
Active and spirited, particularly used for horses.
3.
throatclassical
The throat or pharynx, the passage for coughing.
4.
camel with a coughclassical
A female camel suffering from a cough.
5.
mouthclassical
The mouth, from which one coughs.

وسعال ساعل: مبالغة — And a 'sa'il' cough: an exaggeration.

ذو ساعل كسعلة المزفور — Possessing an energetic spirit like the vigorous cough.

زَعَلَverb

1.
to be energeticclassical
To be active and spirited, similar to 'sa'ala' in this sense.

وكذلك: زعل زعلا — And likewise: 'za'ala' (to be energetic).

أَسْعَلَverb

1.
to make energeticclassical
To make something or someone energetic, especially a horse.
2.
to cause coughingclassical
To induce coughing in someone.

أسعلته، وأزعلته: أنشطته — 'As'alathu' and 'az'alathu': to make him energetic.

أسعله المرعى وازعله — The pasture made him energetic.

مَسْعَلٌnoun

1.
throatclassical
The place in the throat where coughing originates; the pharynx.

وهو موضع السعال من الحلق — It is the place of coughing from the throat.

السَّعْلاةُnoun

1.
ghoulclassical
A type of demon or evil spirit, often depicted as a witch or sorceress of the jinn.
2.
wicked jinnclassical
Specifically, the most wicked of ghouls, or sorceresses among the jinn.

السعلاة، والسعلاء، بكسرهما: الغول، أو ساحرة الجن — 'Al-sa'laah' and 'al-sa'laa', with kasra on both: the ghoul, or the sorceress of the jinn.

السَّعْلاَءُnoun

1.
ghoulclassical
A female ghoul or demon.
2.
witchclassical
A sorceress, particularly among the jinn.

السَّعَالِيnoun

1.
ghoulsclassical
Plural of 'sa'laah', referring to ghouls or sorceresses of the jinn.
2.
loud womenclassical
Metaphorically, women who are loud and boisterous.
3.
horsesclassical
Metaphorically, swift and powerful horses.

ولكن السعالى — But the 'sa'ali' (referring to sorcerers of the jinn).

ونساء كأنهن السعالي — And women as if they were 'sa'ali' (ghouls, implying bad condition).

اسْتَسْعَلَتِ الْمَرْأَةُverb

1.
to become like a ghoulclassical
A woman becoming like a 'sa'laah' in terms of wickedness, loudness, or foulness of character.

استسعلت المرأة: أي صارت كهي في الخبث — 'Istas'alat al-mar'ah': meaning she became like her (the ghoul) in wickedness.

السَّلاطَةُnoun

1.
loudnessclassical
Being loud, boisterous, or impertinent, often associated with women.

استسعلت المرأة: أي صارت كهي في الخبث والسلاطة — A woman became like a ghoul: meaning she became like her in wickedness and loudness.

السُّعْلُnoun

1.
dry date pitsclassical
The hard, dry outer shell of a date pit.

السعل، محركة: الشيص اليابس — 'Al-su'l', with haraka: the dry date pits.

السَّعَالِيnoun

1.
a plantclassical
A plant whose leaves cause blisters and are used to treat them; its fresh form is good for coughs.

والسعالي، بكسر اللام: نبات يفجر ورقه الدبيلات، ويحللها — And 'al-sa'ali', with kasra on the lam: a plant whose leaves cause blisters and break them.

السُّعْلَىnoun

1.
female ghoulclassical
A variant pronunciation or term for the female ghoul or demon ('sa'laa').

والسعلى، كذكرى: لغة في السعلاء — And 'al-su'la', like 'dhukra': a variant pronunciation for 'al-sa'laa'.

أَسْعَلَهُ السَّوِيقَverb

1.
to cause coughing from foodclassical
To cause someone to cough as a result of eating 'sawīq' (a type of ground grain).

وأسعله السويق: أورث له سعالا — And 'as'alahu al-sawīq': it caused him to have a cough.

أَسْعَلَهُverb

1.
to make like a ghoulclassical
To make someone or something resemble a 'sa'laah' (ghoul) in terms of character or appearance.

وأسعله: جعله كالسعلاة — And 'as'alahu': to make him like a 'sa'laah'.

ابن أبي السُّعْلِيname

1.
a person's nameclassical
A nisba (surname) indicating a person from a lineage associated with the root 's-'-l', possibly related to the plant or a characteristic.

وعلي بن محمد بن أبي السعلي، بالكسر: محدث — And Ali bin Muhammad bin Abi al-Su'li, with kasra: a traditionist.

Parallel reading

سعل كنصر، سعالا، وسعلة، بضمهما

He coughed, as in 'nasara', with a 'su'aal' and a 'su'lah', with both words having damma.

وبه سعلة، ثم كثر ذلك حتى قالوا: رماه فسعل الدم، أي ألقاه من صدره

And he had a cough, then this became frequent until they said: he coughed up blood, meaning he expelled it from his chest.

وهي، أي السعلة: حركة تدفع بها الطبيعة أذى عن الرئة والأعضاء التي تتصل بها

And it, meaning the cough, is: a movement by which nature expels harm from the lung and the organs connected to it.

ولذا يقال لعروق الرئة: قصب السعال، لأن مخرجه منها

And for this reason, the airways of the lung are called: the reed of coughing, because its exit is from them.

وتقول: أغصك السؤال فأخذك السعال، وإنه ليسعل سعلة منكرة

And you say: the question choked you, and the cough seized you, and indeed he coughed a terrible cough.

وسعال ساعل: مبالغة، كقولهم: شغل شاغل، وشعر شاعر

And a 'sa'il' cough: is an exaggeration, like their saying: a preoccupying occupation, and a poet's poetry.

وكان القياس أن يقال: سعال مسعل، ولكن العرب هكذا تكلمت به

And the analogy would suggest saying: a 'su'aal' that is 'mas'al', but the Arabs spoke it this way.

وسعل، سعلا، ظاهره أنه من حد نصر، والصحيح أنه من حد فرح: نشط

And 'sa'ala', 'sa'lan', its apparent form is from the verb pattern 'nasara', but the correct view is that it is from the pattern 'faraha': to be energetic.

وكذلك: زعل زعلا، وأسعلته، وأزعلته: أنشطته

And likewise: 'za'ala' (to be energetic), and 'as'alathu', and 'az'alathu': to make him energetic.

وقال أبو عبيدة: فرس سعل زعل: نشيط

And Abu Ubaidah said: an energetic, spirited horse.

وأسعله المرعى وازعله

And the pasture made him energetic and spirited.

والساعل: الحلق

And 'al-sa'il': the throat.

السواف: حلقومه مريئه، كالمسعل، وهو موضع السعال من الحلق

Its 'sawafi': its throat and gullet, like 'al-mas'al', which is the place of coughing from the throat.

والساعل: الناقة بها سعال، نقله الصاغاني

And 'al-sa'ilah': the female camel with a cough, as reported by Al-Sagani.

والسعلاة، والسعلاء، بكسرهما: الغول، أو ساحرة الجن

And 'al-sa'laah', and 'al-sa'laa', with kasra on both: the ghoul, or the sorceress of the jinn.

وقيل: السعلاة أخبث الغيلان، ج: السعالى

And it was said: 'al-sa'laah' is the most wicked of ghouls, plural: 'al-sa'ali'.

وفي الحديث: لا صفر، ولا هامة، ولا غول، ولكن السعالى

And in the hadith: No 'safar' (plague), nor 'haamah' (owl omen), nor ghoul, but rather 'al-sa'ali'.

قيل: هم سحرة الجن، يعني أن الغول لا تقدر أن تغول أحدا أو تضله، ولكن في الجن سحرة كسحرة الإنس، لهم تلبيس وتخييل

It was said: they are the sorcerers of the jinn, meaning that the ghoul cannot harm or mislead anyone, but among the jinn are sorcerers like the sorcerers of humans, who have deception and illusion.

قال الأعشى: ونساء كأنهن السعالي

Al-A'sha said: And women as if they were 'sa'ali'.

قال أبو حاتم: يريد في سوء حالهن حين أسرن

Abu Hatim said: He means in their bad condition when they were captured.

وقال أمية الهذلي: (ويأوي إلى نسوة عطل ... وشعث مراضيع مثل السعالي)

And Umayya al-Hudhali said: (And he shelters with neglected women... and disheveled, nursing mothers like 'sa'ali').

وقال بعض العرب: لم تصف العرب بال سعلاة إلا العجائز والخيل

And some of the Arabs said: The Arabs only described [someone] as 'sa'laah' for old women and horses.

ويقال: أعوذ بالله من هذه) السعالي، أي النساء الصخابات، وهو مجاز

And it is said: I seek refuge in Allah from these 'sa'ali', meaning loud women, and this is metaphorical.

ومن المجاز: استسعلت المرأة: أي صارت كهي في الخبث، والسلاطة

And from metaphor: 'Istas'alat al-mar'ah': meaning she became like her (the ghoul) in wickedness and loudness.

وقال أبو عدنان إذا كانت المرأة قبيحة الوجه، سيئة الخلق، شبهت بالسعلاة

And Abu Adnan said: if a woman is ugly-faced and ill-mannered, she is likened to a 'sa'laah'.

والسعل، محركة: الشيص اليابس، عن ابن الأعرابي

And 'al-su'l', with haraka: the dry date pits, from Ibn al-A'rabi.

والسعالي، بكسر اللام: نبات يفجر ورقه الدبيلات، ويحللها، وطريه يقلع الجرب، وهو أفضل دواء للسعال

And 'al-sa'ali', with kasra on the lam: a plant whose leaves cause blisters and break them; its fresh form removes scabies, and it is the best medicine for a cough.

والساعل: الفم، قال ابن مقبل: (على إثر عجاج لطيف مصيره ... يمج لعاع العضرس الجون ساعله)

And 'al-sa'il': the mouth, Ibn Muqbil said: (Following a gentle dust storm its destination... it spits out the residue of the dark thorny plant, its mouth).

أي فمه، لن الساعل به يسعل، قاله الأزهري

Meaning his mouth, because from the mouth one coughs, said Al-Azhari.

والسعلى، كذكرى: لغة في السعلاء، والجمع سعليات، قيل: هي أنثى الغيلان

And 'al-su'la', like 'dhukra': a variant pronunciation for 'al-sa'laa', and the plural is 'sa'liyaat'; it is said: she is the female of the ghouls.

والسعالي: الخيل، على التشبيه، قال ذو الإصبع: (ثم إن بعثنا أسود عادية ... مثل السعالي نقائيا نزعا)

And 'al-sa'ali': horses, by way of simile, Dhu al-Isba' said: (Then if We send forth fierce lions... like swift, noble horses).

وأوسعله السويق: أورث له سعالا

And 'as'alahu al-sawīq': it caused him to have a cough.

وأسعله: جعله كالسعلاة

And 'as'alahu': to make him like a 'sa'laah'.

وعلي بن محمد بن أبي السعلي، بالكسر: محدث، روى عن قاضي البصرة أبي عمر محمد بن أحمد النهاوندي، قاله الحافظ

And Ali bin Muhammad bin Abi al-Su'li, with kasra: a traditionist, narrated from the judge of Basra, Abu Umar Muhammad bin Ahmad al-Nahawandi, said Al-Hafiz.