Learn Arabic › B1 › أَسَل
أَسَل
reed (a marsh plant with tall, straight, pointed stalks) /ʔaˈsal/
nounB1#2946 most common
Also: rush, spear (by poetic comparison)
Example sentences
يَنبُتُ الأَسَلُ قربَ النهرِ.
Reed grows near the river.
نسجَتِ المرأةُ حصيرًا من الأَسَلِ.
The woman wove a mat from reed.
أوراقُ الأَسَلِ طويلةٌ ومدببةٌ كالرماحِ.
The leaves of the reed are long and pointed like spears.
استُخدِمَ الأَسَلُ منذ القِدَمِ في صناعةِ الحبالِ والسلالِ.
Reed has been used since ancient times to make ropes and baskets.
شبّهَ الشاعرُ رماحَ الفرسانِ بنباتِ الأَسَلِ لاستقامتِها.
The poet likened the horsemen's spears to the reed plant for their straightness.
في كتبِ اللغةِ القديمةِ، وُصِفَتِ الأسنّةُ بأنها دقيقةٌ كسيقانِ الأَسَلِ.
In old philology books, spearheads were described as fine as the stalks of the reed.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | أَسَلٌ | None |
| Genitive | أَسَلٍ | None |
| Accusative | أَسَلاً | None |
| Vocative | يا أَسَلُ | None |
Word family
أَسَلَةa single reed stalk; the tip of the tongue or a spear
أَسِيلsmooth and gently tapering, said of a cheek
أَسَلِيّreed-like, made of or relating to reed
Etymology
The word comes from the Semitic root ء-س-ل (ʾ-s-l), which carries the sense of something long, smooth, and tapering to a point. Classical Arabic dictionaries define أَسَل as a leafless, straight-stemmed marsh plant used for weaving mats and ropes. Poets extended the word to describe spears, because a well-made spear shaft has the same slender straightness as the reed.
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