Learn Arabic › B1 › قِلَّة
قِلَّة
scarcity /ˈqil.la/
nounB1#1765 most common
Also: lack, shortage, fewness
Example sentences
قِلّة الماء مشكلة كبيرة.
Lack of water is a big problem.
أعاني من قِلّة النوم.
I suffer from a lack of sleep.
قِلّة الصبر تسبب مشاكل كثيرة.
Lack of patience causes many problems.
بسبب قِلّة المال، لم نسافر هذا العام.
Because of the shortage of money, we did not travel this year.
تشكو القرية من قِلّة الخدمات الصحية.
The village complains of a shortage of health services.
إن قِلّة الخبرة لدى الموظفين الجدد تنعكس على جودة العمل.
The lack of experience among the new employees affects the quality of the work.
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | قِلّةٌ | قِلَلٌ |
| Genitive | قِلّةٍ | قِلَلٍ |
| Accusative | قِلّةً | قِلَلاً |
| Vocative | يا قِلّةُ | يا قِلَلُ |
Word family
قَليلfew, little
قَلَّto be few, to decrease
قَلَّلَto reduce, to lessen
أَقَلّless, fewerأَقَلِّيَّةminority
Etymology
The word comes from the Semitic triliteral root q-l-l, which carries the sense of being few, little, or light. It is the abstract noun built on the pattern fiʿla and is closely tied to the adjective qalīl, meaning few. The same root gives the verb qalla, to decrease.
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