س ف ل

Root entry · 21 derived lemmas

This root primarily denotes lowness, inferiority, and baseness, both physically and metaphorically. It encompasses concepts of being below, descending, and having a low status or quality. It also relates to the lower parts of things and can be used to describe a state of decline or degradation.

Derived headwords

السُّفْلnoun

1.
lowliness, basenessboth
The state or quality of being low, inferior, or base.
2.
lower partboth
The lower portion or part of something.

السُّفُولnoun

1.
lowness, descentboth
The act or state of being low or descending; a decline in status or position.

السَّفَالَةnoun

1.
baseness, meannessboth
A state of being base, ignoble, or morally low.
2.
inferiorityboth
The quality of being inferior or of low rank.

السُّفْلَةnoun

1.
the base, the lowest classboth
The lowest stratum of society; the common people, the rabble, or the ignoble.
2.
legs of an animalclassical
The legs of a beast, referring to their lower position.

السُّفْلَىadjective

1.
lowerboth
The feminine form of 'lower', used as an adjective or noun.

الأَسْفَلadjective

1.
lowerboth
The comparative and superlative form of 'low', meaning lower or lowest.

التَّسَفُّلnoun

1.
lowering, descentboth
The act of lowering oneself or descending; a state of being brought low.

السَّافِلadjective

1.
low, baseboth
One who is low, base, ignoble, or of inferior status.
2.
lacking fortuneclassical
Someone who has diminished fortune or is in a low state.

سَفَلَverb

1.
to be low, baseboth
To be in a low position, state, or quality; to be base or ignoble.
2.
to descendboth
To move downwards from a higher place.
3.
to decline in fortuneclassical
To experience a decrease in one's status, fortune, or value.

سُفَالاًnoun

1.
lowness, basenessboth
A state of being low, base, or ignoble; a decline in status.

سُفُولاًnoun

1.
lowness, descentboth
The act or state of being low or descending.

سُفْلًاnoun

1.
lowness, basenessboth
A state of being low, base, or ignoble.

تَسَفَّلَverb

1.
to debase oneselfboth
To lower oneself in status or character; to act basely.
2.
to decline in fortuneclassical
To have one's fortune or status diminished.

تَسْفِيلnoun

1.
lowering, bringing downboth
The act of causing something to be low or to descend.

اسْتَفَلَverb

1.
to decline in fortuneclassical
To have one's fortune or status diminished; to become low.

السَّافِلَةnoun

1.
anus, posteriorclassical
The posterior part of the body; the anus.

المَسْفَلَةnoun

1.
a district in Meccaclassical
A locality situated in the lower part of Mecca.
2.
a village in Al-Yamamahclassical
A village in Al-Yamamah, belonging to the Khazraj tribe.

السُّفْلِيّadjective

1.
lower, inferiorboth
Relating to the lower part or status; inferior.
2.
low in fortuneclassical
Someone who is low in fortune or status.

يُسَافِلُverb

1.
to vie in basenessclassical
To compete with someone in base or ignoble actions.

ذُو سُفَالname

1.
a village in Yemenclassical
A place name, referring to a village in Yemen.

ذُو سُفُلname

1.
a title from Hamdanclassical
A title given to a man from the Hamdan tribe in the land of Hahsab.

Parallel reading

أمرهم في سفال

Their affairs are in a state of decline.

والسفلى: نقيض العليا

And 'as-sufla' is the opposite of 'al-'ulya'.

والأسفل: نقيض الأعلى

And 'al-asfal' is the opposite of 'al-a'la'.

والركب أسفل منكم

And the caravan is lower than you.

أي أشد تسفلا منكم

Meaning, more descended than you.

والتسفل: نقيض التعلي

And 'at-tasafful' is the opposite of 'at-ta'li'.

والسافل: نقيض العالي

And 'as-safil' is the opposite of 'al-'ali'.

رددناه أسفل سافلين

We returned him to the lowest of the low.

أي إلى أرذل العمر، وهو الهرم

Meaning, to the most decrepit age, which is senility.

فمن كفر وضل فهو المردود إلى أسفل السافلين

So whoever disbelieves and goes astray is the one returned to the lowest of the low.

وقد سفل، ككرم، وعلم، ونصر

And he became low, like 'karuma', 'alima', and 'nasara'.

تسف فلان، وسفل في خلقه، وعلمه، ونسبه، ككرم

So-and-so became base, and he declined in his character, knowledge, and lineage, like 'karuma'.

وسفل في الشيء، من حد نصر، سفولا، بالضم: نزل من أعلاه إلى أسفله

And he descended in something, from the pattern of 'nasara', with 'sufoolan' (with damma): he came down from its top to its bottom.

وسفلة الناس، بالكسر، على التخفيف بنقل كسرة الفاء إلى السين، نقله ابن السكيت عن بعض العرب، وكفرحة: أسافلهم، وغوغاؤهم، وأراذلهم، وسقاطهم

And 'suflatu' an-nas (with kasra), by way of lightening by moving the kasra of the fa to the sin, as transmitted by Ibn as-Sikkit from some Arabs, and like 'faraha': their lowest ones, their rabble, their ignoble ones, and their riff-raff.

وسفلة البعير، كفرحة: قوائمه، لأنها أسفل، كما في المحكم

And 'suflatu' al-ba'eer, like 'faraha': its legs, because they are lower, as in Al-Muhkam.

وسفالة الريح، بالضم: ضد علاوتها

And 'sufalatu' ar-reeh (with damma): the opposite of its 'alawatuha'.

فقال له: ما صنعتك قال: سماك، أعزك الله، قال: سفلة، والله

So he said to him: What is your profession? He said: He named me, may God honor you, 'Sufala', by God.

والتسفيل: التصويب

And 'at-tasfeel': directing downwards.

والتسفل: التصويب

And 'at-tasafful': directing downwards.

وسفلت منزلته عند الأمير

And his status with the prince declined.

وهو من سفلي مضر

And he is from the lower tribes of Mudar.

من يرحم السفلي يرحمه العلي

Whoever shows mercy to the lower one, the Higher One will show mercy to him.

وهو يسافل فلانا، أي يباريه في أفعاله السفلة

And he vies with so-and-so, meaning he competes with him in his base actions.

ذو سفال، ككتاب قرية باليمن

Dhu Sufal, like 'kitab', a village in Yemen.

ذو سفل، بالكسر: لقب رجل من همدان، بأرض يحصب

Dhu Sufl (with kasra): a title of a man from Hamdan, in the land of Hahsab.