ذيل
dēl/ðajl/Hijazi Arabic, masculine
The English word 'tail' is translated into Arabic as ذيل (dēl). Wiktionary also lists ذَنَب (ḏanab) and ذَيْل (ḏayl).
Meaning: appendage of an animal (noun)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| ذيل | dēl | /ðajl/ | Hijazi Arabic, masculine |
| ذَنَب | ḏanab | masculine | |
| ذَيْل | ḏayl | masculine | |
| ديل | dél | Egyptian Arabic, masculine | |
| زنطيط | zanṭīṭ | Moroccan Arabic, masculine | |
| قزيبة | qazzība | Moroccan Arabic, feminine |
The term refers to the appendage of an animal.
Which one should you use?
The form ذَنَب is a more classical or formal variant of the word for tail compared to the more common ذَيْل.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Egyptian Arabic, the word for tail is written and pronounced as ديل. In Moroccan Arabic, the term زنطيط is used and the feminine form قزيبة is also used in Morocco. In Hijazi Arabic, the word is written as ذيل.
How does it change in a sentence?
All listed forms are masculine, with the exception of the Moroccan Arabic form قزيبة, which is feminine.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ðajl/.
Did you know?
- In Arabic literature, describing someone as a ذيل can be used metaphorically to describe a follower or a sycophant.
- The word ذيل is also used in Arabic to describe the 'footer' or the bottom part of a document or letter.
- The classical word ذيل shares an etymological root with the concept of being 'low-status' or 'low-esteem'.
Examples in context
- تسبح السمكة بتحريك ذيلها.The fish swims by moving its tail.This sentence is useful for describing how a fish moves its ذيل.Tatoeba #1572048 by Amastan, translation #1456827 by qana
- لقد وُلد ذلك الجرو بدون ذيل.The puppy was born without a tail.This sentence is useful for describing a puppy born without a ذيل.Tatoeba #6981363 by OsoHombre, translation #6971949 by AlanF_US
- للبقرة ذيل طويل.A cow has a long tail.This sentence is useful for describing a cow that has a long ذيل.Tatoeba #12084008 by dididodo, translation #1739389 by Amastan
Example conversation
Maryam and Omar are watching a monkey at the zoo.
- مريم Maryamشوف يا عمر، القرد عنده ذيل طويل جداً.Shuf ya Omar, al-qird 'anduh dhail tawil jiddan.Look, Omar, the monkey has a very long tail.
- عمر Omarفعلاً، ذيله شكله غريب.Fi'lan, dhailuh shaklah gharib.Indeed, his tail looks strange.
- مريم Maryamهل شفت ذيل القطة في الحديقة؟Hal shuft dhail al-qitah fil-hadiqah?Did you see the cat's tail in the garden?
- عمر Omarلا، ما شفته.La, ma shuftuh.No, I didn't see it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “tail” translations and entries ذيل, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ذيل, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
