يلب

Arabic

Etymology

Apparently borrowed from Aramaic חלבא / ܚܠܒܐ (ḥelbā, “fatty tissue, omentum, membrane, diaphragm”), native Semitic cognate to the Arabic خ ل ب (ḵ-l-b) and خ ل ف (ḵ-l-f), compare س ل ب (s-l-b) and س ل ف (s-l-f), in a regiolect and chronolect where the distinction of /ʔ/, /ʕ/, /ħ/ and /j/ was already degenerated and the word bore the latter sound, as is the case for Arabic يَافُوخ (yāfūḵ) and Old Armenian յիմար (yimar). Some more general clothing names have been derived from these two root formulas in Semitic, and in particular the same Aramaic source lays claim to Old Armenian հալաւ (halaw, “garment”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ja.lab/

Noun

يَلَب • (yalab) m (collective, singulative يَلَبَة f (yalaba)) (obsolete)

1. skin of the back of a wild beast
2. leather or felt war-gear, soft field accoutrements (armour as well as shields, and possibly helmets)
   • a. 584, ʿAmr ibn Kult̠ūm, his Muʿallaqa, a well-known work‎^[1]:

     عَلَيْنَا البَيْضُ وَٱليَلَبُ ٱليَمَانِي
     وَأَسْيَافٌ يَقُمْنَ وَيَنْحَنِيْنَا
     عَلَيْنَا كُلُّ سَابِغَةٍ دِلَاصٍ
     تَرَى فَوْقَ ٱلنِّطَاقِ لَهَا غُضُوْنَا

     ʕalaynā l-bayḍu wal-yalabu l-yamānī
     waʔasyāfun yaqumna wayanḥaniynā
     ʕalaynā kullu sābiḡatin dilāṣin
     tarā fawqa n-niṭāqi lahā ḡuḍuwnā

     We are armed with bright sabres, and clad in habergeons
     Our scimitars are part straight, part bent.
     We have coats of mail that glitter like lightning,
     the plaits of which are seen in wrinkles above our belts.

Declension

Declension of noun يَلَب (yalab)

Collective	basic collective triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	يَلَب yalab	الْيَلَب al-yalab	يَلَب yalab
Nominative	يَلَبٌ yalabun	الْيَلَبُ al-yalabu	يَلَبُ yalabu
Accusative	يَلَبًا yalaban	الْيَلَبَ al-yalaba	يَلَبَ yalaba
Genitive	يَلَبٍ yalabin	الْيَلَبِ al-yalabi	يَلَبِ yalabi
Singulative	singulative triptote in ـَة (-a)
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	يَلَبَة yalaba	الْيَلَبَة al-yalaba	يَلَبَة yalabat
Nominative	يَلَبَةٌ yalabatun	الْيَلَبَةُ al-yalabatu	يَلَبَةُ yalabatu
Accusative	يَلَبَةً yalabatan	الْيَلَبَةَ al-yalabata	يَلَبَةَ yalabata
Genitive	يَلَبَةٍ yalabatin	الْيَلَبَةِ al-yalabati	يَلَبَةِ yalabati
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	يَلَبَتَيْن yalabatayn	الْيَلَبَتَيْن al-yalabatayn	يَلَبَتَيْ yalabatay
Nominative	يَلَبَتَانِ yalabatāni	الْيَلَبَتَانِ al-yalabatāni	يَلَبَتَا yalabatā
Accusative	يَلَبَتَيْنِ yalabatayni	الْيَلَبَتَيْنِ al-yalabatayni	يَلَبَتَيْ yalabatay
Genitive	يَلَبَتَيْنِ yalabatayni	الْيَلَبَتَيْنِ al-yalabatayni	يَلَبَتَيْ yalabatay
Paucal (3-10)	sound feminine paucal
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	يَلَبَات yalabāt	الْيَلَبَات al-yalabāt	يَلَبَات yalabāt
Nominative	يَلَبَاتٌ yalabātun	الْيَلَبَاتُ al-yalabātu	يَلَبَاتُ yalabātu
Accusative	يَلَبَاتٍ yalabātin	الْيَلَبَاتِ al-yalabāti	يَلَبَاتِ yalabāti
Genitive	يَلَبَاتٍ yalabātin	الْيَلَبَاتِ al-yalabāti	يَلَبَاتِ yalabāti

References

• “ḥlb²”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
• “يلب” in Almaany
• Dozy, Reinhart Pieter Anne (1881) “يلب”, in Supplément aux dictionnaires arabes‎^[2] (in French), volume 2, Leiden: E. J. Brill, page 353b
• Freytag, Georg (1837) “يلب”, in Lexicon arabico-latinum praesertim ex Djeuharii Firuzabadiique et aliorum Arabum operibus adhibitis Golii quoque et aliorum libris confectum‎^[3] (in Latin), volume 4, Halle: C. A. Schwetschke, page 522b
• Kazimirski, Albin de Biberstein (1860) “يلب”, in Dictionnaire arabe-français contenant toutes les racines de la langue arabe, leurs dérivés, tant dans l’idiome vulgaire que dans l’idiome littéral, ainsi que les dialectes d’Alger et de Maroc‎^[4] (in French), volume 2, Paris: Maisonneuve et C^ie, page 1633b
• Rehatsek, Edward (1879 May 14) “Art. XV.—Notes on some Old Arms and Instruments of War, chiefly among the Arabs”, in The Journal of the Bombay Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society‎^[5], volume 14, number 37, pages 233–234