Classical Arabic - English Dictionary

سَفَلَ, aor. ـُ {يَسْفُلُ}; (M, MA, Mgh, O,* Mṣb, Ḳ;) and سَفُلَ, aor. ـُ {يَسْفُلُ}; (M, Mṣb, Ḳ;) and سَفِلَ, (O, Ḳ,) aor. ـَ {يَسْفَلُ}; (Ḳ;) inf. n. (of the first, Mgh, Mṣb, TA, and of the last, TA) سُفُولٌ (M, MA, Mgh, Mṣb, Ḳ) and سَفَالٌ (M, MA, Ḳ, TA, in the CK [erroneously] سِفال,) and of the second سَفَالَةٌ (TA;) andتسفّل↓; (M, Ḳ;) He, or it, was, or became, low; (M,* Mgh, O, Ḳ;*) the first contr. of عَلَا (Mgh, O;) and the third, of عَلِىَ; and † both are said of a man; (O;) سُفُولٌ and سَفَالٌ being the contr. of عُلُوٌّ and عَلآءٌ: (Ṣ, Ḳ:) or became lower than another: (Mṣb:) [and] the first signifies it descended, subsided, or sank downwards. (MA.) Hence the phrase بِنْتُ بِنْتِ بِنْتٍ وَإِنْ سَفَلَتْ † [A daughter of a daughter of a daughter, and if she be lower in descent]: سَفُلَتْ i. e. with damm to the ف, in this case, is a mistake. (Mgh.) And سَفَلَتْ مَنْزِلَتُهُ عِنْدَ الأَمِيرِ † [His station with, or in the estimation of, the commander, governor, or prince, was, or became, low, or lower]. (TA.) And أَمْرُهُمْ فِىسَفَالٍ † [Their case is in a low state]. (TA.) And سَفَلَ فِى الشّىْءِ, (Ḳ,* TA, [in the former of which the context implies that it is سَفُلَ, but it is]) like نَصَرَ, [aor. ـُ {يَسْفُلُ},] (TA,) inf. n. سُفُولٌ, [It subsided in the thing;] it descended from the upper, or uppermost, part of the thing, to the lower, or lowest, part thereof. (Ḳ.)

And سَفُلَ, [aor. ـُ {يَسْفُلُ},] inf. n. سَفَالَةٌ (Fr, Ṣ, MA, Mgh, O, Ḳ *) and سَفَالِيَةٌ (MA) and سُفْلٌ, (Fr, O,) † He was, or became, low, base, vile, ignoble, mean, or sordid; (Fr, Ṣ, MA, Mgh, O, Ḳ;*) as also سَفَلَ, with fet-ḥ, (Fr, O,) or سَفِلَ. (MA.) You say, سَفَلَ, like قَتَلَ, (Mṣb,) or سَفُلَ, like كَرُمَ, (Ḳ,) فِى خُلُقِهِ, and عَمَلِهِ, (Mṣb, Ḳ,) and نَسَبِهِ, (TA,) [aor. in either case ـُ,] inf. n. سَفْلٌ (Mṣb, Ḳ) and سُفْلٌ (Ḳ) and سِفَالٌ, (Mṣb,* Ḳ, [in the former without any indication of the syll. signs,]) the last like كِتَابٌ; (Ḳ;) [and app. سَفِلَ also accord. to the MA, as shown above;] andتسفّل↓, andاستفل↓; (TA;) ‡ He was low, base, vile, ignoble, or mean, in his lot, [or, as seems to be indicated in the Mṣb, inferior to others,] in respect of his disposition, and his deed, and his lineage: (TA:) تسفّل↓ is the contr. of جَادَ. (Mṣb.)

تَسْفِيلٌ The act of lowering, or depressing; syn. تَصْوِيبٌ. (Sudot;, O.)

هُويُسَافِلُ فُلَانًا † He vies with, or imitates, such a one in his low, base, vile, ignoble, mean, or sordid, actions. (TA.)

تَسَفُّلٌ [quasi-pass. of 2,] The being lowered, or depressed; syn. تَصَوُّبٌ (Ṣ, O;) contr. of تَعَلّ. (TA.)

See also 1, first sentence:

and the same {1}, last sentence, in two places.

سُفْلٌ andسِفْلٌ↓ (Ṣ, M, Mgh, O, Mṣb, Ḳ) [but it is strangely added in the Mṣb that IḲt disallowed the pronunciation with damm] andسِفْلَةٌ↓ (M, Ḳ) andسُفَالَهٌ↓ (Ṣ, O, Ḳ) The lowest, or lower, part [of a thing]; contr. of عُلْوٌ (Ṣ, M, Mgh, O, Mṣb, Ḳ) and عِلْوٌ (Ṣ, Mgh, O, Mṣb, Ḳ) and عِلْوَةٌ (Ḳ) and عُلَاوَةٌ; (Ṣ, O, Ḳ;) [and soسَافلَةٌ↓, contr. of عَاليَةٌ:] سُفَالَهُ↓ كُلّ شَىْءٍ signifies, (Ḳ,) or is said to signify, (M,) the lowest, or lower, part of anything; i. e.أَسْفَلُهُ↓ (M, Ḳ;) and عُلَاوَتُهُ [The contr., i. e.] أَعْلَاهُ. (M.)

سِفْلٌ: see the next preceding paragraph.

سَفِلٌ from سَفِلَ, andسَفِيلٌ↓ from سَفُلَ, † A low, base, vile, ignoble, mean, or sordid, man: (MA:) orسَفيلٌ↓ signifies low (سَافِلٌ↓) [in condition], deficient in lot, or fortune: (TA:) andسَفِلَةٌ↓, (Ṣ, M, MA, Mgh, Mṣb, Ḳ,) said by some to be from this word as signifying the “legs” (Mgh, Mṣb) of a camel (Mgh) or of a beast, or quadruped, (Mṣb,) andسِفْلَةٌ↓, (Ṣ, M, MA, Mgh Mṣb, Ḳ,) a contraction of سَفِلَةٌ, (Ṣ, Mgh, Mṣb,) or it may be pl. ofسَفِيلٌ↓, like as عِلْيَةٌ is of عَلِىٌّ, (Mgh,) † low, base, vile, ignoble, mean, or sordid, persons; (Ṣ,* MA, Mgh, Mṣb;) or the lowest, or lower, basest, or baser, vilest, or viler,, &c., of mankind, or of people; the refuse, or rabble, thereof: (Ṣ,* M, Ḳ:) andسِفِلَةٌ↓, with two kesrehs, is a dial. var. of سَفِلَةٌ and سِفْلَةٌ, mentioned by Ṣgh and IB on the authority of Yoo and IKh, and is said to mean the lowest, basest,, &c., of the low, base,, &c.: the pl. ofسِفْلَةٌ↓ is سِفَلٌ; (TA;) one should not say, هُوَ سَفِلَةٌ↓ because this is [used only as] a pl.: (Ṣ:) the vulgar sayرَجُلٌ سِفْلَةٌ↓ مِنْ قَوْمٍ سِفَلٍ; (Ṣ, Mgh;*) but this has been disallowed: (Mgh:) a man is related to have said to his wife, (Mgh, TA,) who had called him سِفْلَةٌ, (TA,) إِنْ كُنْتُ سِفْلَةً فَأَنْتِ طَالِقٌ, (Mgh, TA,) meaning If I be low, base,, &c., in my intellect and my religion [thou art divorced]; (Mgh;) whence it seems that سِفْلَةٌ may be applied to a single person; but this requires consideration. (TA.) أَيْمَانُ السَّفِلَةِ↓ means † [The oaths] of the ignorant: or accord. to Aboo-Ḥaneefeh, of the heretics, or schismatics: such [oaths] are said to be وَوَجْهِ ٱللّٰهِ and وَأمَانَةِ ٱللّٰه. (Mgh.)

سَفِلَةٌ The legs (Ṣ, M, Mgh, Mṣb, Ḳ) of a camel (Ṣ, M, Mgh, Ḳ) or of a beast, or quadruped: (Mṣb:) because they are lowest. (M.)

See also سَافِلَةٌ:

and see سَفِلٌ, in three places.

سُفْلِىُّ [Of, or relating to, the lowest, or lower, part or place;] a rel. n. from سُفْلٌ. (TA.) [Hence, the pl.] سُفْليُّونَ means Persons alighting, or abiding, in the lowest, or lower, parts of a country: opposed to عَليُّونَ (TA in art. علو.)

It is also opposed to عَلِىٌّ [in relation to condition]: whence the saying, مَنْ يَرْحَمِ السُّفْلِىَّ يَرْحَمْهُ العَلِىُّ † [He who has mercy on the low in condition, on him will the high in condition have mercy]. (TA.) سُفْلِيُّونَ, meaning † Persons low in condition, is opposed to عَلِيُّونَ, meaning “opulent persons.” (TA in art. علو.)

سُفَالَةٌ see سُفْلٌ, in two places.

One says, قَعَدَ سُفَالَةَ الرِّيحِ, and فِى سُفَالَةِ الرِّيحِ, (M, Ḳ,* TA,) or بِسُفَالَةِالرِّيح, (Ṣ,) [He sat in, or on, the leeward side; like as one says in French, sous le vent;] in, or on, the side, or quarter, towards which the wind blew; (Ṣ, M, Ḳ,* TA;) and particularly with respect to the object or objects of the chase [in order that his smell might not be perceived thereby]: (TA in the present art. and in art. علو:) opposed to عُلَاوَتَهَا, and فِى عُلَاوَتِهَا, (M, Ḳ,* TA,) or بِعُلَاوَتِهَا. (Ṣ.)

سَافِلٌ Low; contr. of عَالٍ. (Ṣ, Mṣb,* TA.) See also سَفِلٌ: and see an ex. voce أَسْفَلُ

سَافِلَةٌ: see سُفْلٌ.

[Hence,] سَافِلَةُ الرُّمْحِ half that is next to the زُجّ [or pointed iron shoe, or foot,] of the spear: (M, Ḳ:) [opposed to عَالِيَتُهُ.]

And السَّافِلَةُ The bottom, podex, posteriors, or buttocks; and the anus; syn. المَقْعَدَةُ, (Ṣ,) and الدُّبُرُ; (TA;) as alsoالسَّفِلَةُ↓; syn. الدُّبُرُ. (L in art. خجر.)

أَسْفَلُ Lower, and lowest; contr. of أَعْلَى (M, Mṣb, Ḳ:) fem. سُفْلَى: (TA:) and pl. أَسَافِلُ. (M, TA.) One says, صَارَأَسْفَلَ مِنْ غَيْرِهِ [He, or it, became lower than another]. (Mṣb.) And it is said in the Ḳur [viii. 43], وٱلرَّكْبُ أَسْفَلَ مِنْكُمْ The caravan being in a place lower than ye; اسفل being here an adv. n.: or, as some read, أَسْفَلُ مِنْكُمْ, i. e. being lower than ye. (M.)

ثُمَّ رَدَدْنَاهُ أَسْفَلَ سَافِلِينَ↓, in the Ḳur [xcv. 5], means † [Then we rendered him the lowest of low: or] we reduced him to extreme old age, or decrepitude: or to a state of perishing, or passing away: or to a state of error; relating to him who has disbelieved; (M, Ḳ;) for every infant is born of the natural constitution with which he is created in his mother's womb, and he who disbelieves and errs is reduced to this state: (M:) or the meaning is, we have made him to be of the people of the fire [of Hell]: or [we have made him to go down] to the fire [of Hell]. (Bḍ.)

سُفْلَى مُضَرَ [The lower of Mudar] is said to denote those of Mudar with the exception of Kureysh and Keys: opposed to عُلْيَامُضَرَ. (TA in art. علو.)

See also سُفْلٌ.

The pl. أَسَافِلُ means The lower, or lowest, parts of valleys [&c.]. (TA.) The phrase كِلَابُ الأَسَافِلِ occurs in a verse of Aboo-Dhu-eyb as meaning [The dogs] of the lower, or lowest, parts of the valleys. (M.)

And † The young ones of camels. (Aṣ, Ṣ,* TA.)