مجدل
Arabic
Etymology
Tool noun from the root ج د ل (j-d-l) related to things being woven strong, to be strong or compact or borrowed from Aramaic מִגְדְּלָא (migdəlā, “tower”) / ܡܰܓܕܠܳܐ (magdəlā, “tower”), since this word has been widespread across Aramaic dialects and other Arabic terms for fortresses are borrowed too, as بَلَاط (balāṭ), بُرْج (burj), قَصْر (qaṣr), possibly also حِصْن (ḥiṣn). There is also a native form with a similar semantic range جَنْدَل (jandal, “boulder, mass of rocks, rock outcropping; a place with strong defenses, fortress”) from the same root. Cognates are seen in Hebrew מִגְדָּל (migdāl, “tower”), Moabite 𐤌𐤂𐤃𐤋 (mgdl, “tower”), Ugaritic 𐎎𐎂𐎄𐎍 (mgdl) and 𐎎𐎄𐎂𐎍 (mdgl, “tower”, or of uncertain meaning), Minaean 𐩣𐩴𐩵𐩡 (“tower”), and possibly Akkadian 𒈠𒀜𒂵𒆷𒌅 (madgaltu, “watchtower”). The Akkadian however appears only from Middle Assyrian, so a borrowing from Northwest Semitic into Akkadian too is considered, yet nothing is proven; alternatively it is from another root 𒅆𒅅 (/dagālu/, “to look”) hence a place to look from, a watchtower.
Declension
| Singular | basic singular triptote | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Indefinite | Definite | Construct | |
| Informal | مِجْدَل mijdal |
الْمِجْدَل al-mijdal |
مِجْدَل mijdal |
| Nominative | مِجْدَلٌ mijdalun |
الْمِجْدَلُ al-mijdalu |
مِجْدَلُ mijdalu |
| Accusative | مِجْدَلًا mijdalan |
الْمِجْدَلَ al-mijdala |
مِجْدَلَ mijdala |
| Genitive | مِجْدَلٍ mijdalin |
الْمِجْدَلِ al-mijdali |
مِجْدَلِ mijdali |
| Dual | Indefinite | Definite | Construct |
| Informal | مِجْدَلَيْن mijdalayn |
الْمِجْدَلَيْن al-mijdalayn |
مِجْدَلَيْ mijdalay |
| Nominative | مِجْدَلَانِ mijdalāni |
الْمِجْدَلَانِ al-mijdalāni |
مِجْدَلَا mijdalā |
| Accusative | مِجْدَلَيْنِ mijdalayni |
الْمِجْدَلَيْنِ al-mijdalayni |
مِجْدَلَيْ mijdalay |
| Genitive | مِجْدَلَيْنِ mijdalayni |
الْمِجْدَلَيْنِ al-mijdalayni |
مِجْدَلَيْ mijdalay |
| Plural | basic broken plural diptote | ||
| Indefinite | Definite | Construct | |
| Informal | مَجَادِل majādil |
الْمَجَادِل al-majādil |
مَجَادِل majādil |
| Nominative | مَجَادِلُ majādilu |
الْمَجَادِلُ al-majādilu |
مَجَادِلُ majādilu |
| Accusative | مَجَادِلَ majādila |
الْمَجَادِلَ al-majādila |
مَجَادِلَ majādila |
| Genitive | مَجَادِلَ majādila |
الْمَجَادِلِ al-majādili |
مَجَادِلِ majādili |
References
- “mgdl”, in The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon Project, Cincinnati: Hebrew Union College, 1986–
- Fraenkel, Siegmund (1886) Die aramäischen Fremdwörter im Arabischen (in German), Leiden: E. J. Brill, pages 236–237
- Kogan, Leonid (2015) Genealogical Classification of Semitic. The Lexical Isoglosses, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, →ISBN, page 364
- Olmo Lete, Gregorio del; Sanmartín, Joaquín; Watson, Wilfred G. E. (2015), “mdgl”, in A Dictionary of the Ugaritic Language in the Alphabetic Tradition (Handbook of Oriental Studies; 112), 3rd edition, Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 524