Learn Arabic › B2 › رَطْل
رَطْل
pound (a traditional unit of weight) /ˈrɑtˤl/
nounB2#4132 most common
Also: rotl (historical weight/volume unit used in Arab markets), measure of oil or liquid sold by weight
Example sentences
أُريدُ رَطْلَ لَحْمٍ.
I want a pound of meat.
اشْتَرَتْ أُمِّي رَطْلَ سُكَّرٍ مِنَ السّوقِ.
My mother bought a pound of sugar from the market.
كَمْ سِعْرُ الرَّطْلِ الوَاحِدِ مِنَ الجُبْنِ؟
What is the price of one pound of cheese?
يُباعُ الزَّيْتُ فِي بَعْضِ الأَسْواقِ بِالرَّطْلِ لا بِاللِتْرِ.
Oil is sold in some markets by the raṭl, not by the liter.
يَخْتَلِفُ وَزْنُ الرَّطْلِ اخْتِلافًا كَبِيرًا بَيْنَ بِلادِ الشَّامِ وَمِصْرَ وَالعِراقِ.
The weight of the raṭl differs greatly between the Levant, Egypt, and Iraq.
كانَتِ الأَرْطالُ فِي العُصورِ الوُسْطى تُقاسُ وَفْقَ مَعايِيرَ مَحَلِّيَّةٍ لا تَخْضَعُ لِنِظامٍ مُوَحَّدٍ.
In the Middle Ages, raṭls were measured according to local standards, not a unified system.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | رَطْلٌ | أَرْطَالٌ |
| Genitive | رَطْلٍ | أَرْطَالٍ |
| Accusative | رَطْلًا | أَرْطَالًا |
| Vocative | يَا رَطْلُ | يَا أَرْطَالُ |
Word family
رَطْلpound (weight unit)
أَرْطَالpounds (plural)
نِصْف رَطْلhalf a pound
رَطَّلَto weigh or sell by the pound (dialectal usage)
Etymology
رَطْل entered Arabic through Aramaic and Syriac liṭrā, which was itself borrowed from Greek λίτρα (lítra), an ancient unit of weight used across the Mediterranean. The same Greek root reached English by a separate route, through Latin and French, giving the word liter. The origin of litra before Greek is uncertain, so no reliable Indo-European root can be given.
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