بلح

See also: ثلج, تلخ, and بلخ

Arabic

Etymology

A variant of فَحْل (faḥl, “stallion”); for the voicing change particular to Arabic compare بُرْغُوث (burḡūṯ) and for the meaning note that in some dialects the present term means or has meant unripe or unfecundated rather than fresh dates, on the other hand ripe dates may have been understood as dates with manness added. The term is also attested as a borrowing in Coptic ⲃⲉⲗϩⲱⲗ (belhōl), ⲃⲉϩⲱⲗ (behōl, “date-palm”). Additionally, compare possibly Soqotri حباله (ḥəbéľe, “tamarind”), which may be related through metathesis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ba.laħ/

Noun

بَلَح • (balaḥ) m (collective, singulative بَلَحَة f (balaḥa))

1. dates (fruit of the date palm)
   • 7th century CE, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, 36:54:

     نَهَى رَسُولُ ٱللّٰهِ صَلَّى ٱللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَنِ الدُّبَّاءِ وَٱلْحَنْتَمِ وَٱلْمُزَفَّتِ وَٱلنَّقِيرِ وَأَنْ يُخْلَطَ الْبَلَحُ بِالزَّهْوِ.‏

     nahā rasūlu llāhi ṣallā llāhu ʕalayhi wasallama ʕani d-dubbāʔi wal-ḥantami wal-muzaffati wan-naqīri waʔan yuḵlaṭa l-balaḥu bi-z-zahwi.

     The prophet (PBUH) forbade [the preparation of wine] in a bottle-gourd, in a colocynth container, in a varnished jar, a hollow stump, and from mixing up ripe dates with nearly ripe dates.

Declension

Declension of noun بَلَح (balaḥ)

Collective	basic collective triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	بَلَح balaḥ	الْبَلَح al-balaḥ	بَلَح balaḥ
Nominative	بَلَحٌ balaḥun	الْبَلَحُ al-balaḥu	بَلَحُ balaḥu
Accusative	بَلَحًا balaḥan	الْبَلَحَ al-balaḥa	بَلَحَ balaḥa
Genitive	بَلَحٍ balaḥin	الْبَلَحِ al-balaḥi	بَلَحِ balaḥi
Singulative	singulative triptote in ـَة (-a)
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	بَلَحَة balaḥa	الْبَلَحَة al-balaḥa	بَلَحَة balaḥat
Nominative	بَلَحَةٌ balaḥatun	الْبَلَحَةُ al-balaḥatu	بَلَحَةُ balaḥatu
Accusative	بَلَحَةً balaḥatan	الْبَلَحَةَ al-balaḥata	بَلَحَةَ balaḥata
Genitive	بَلَحَةٍ balaḥatin	الْبَلَحَةِ al-balaḥati	بَلَحَةِ balaḥati
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	بَلَحَتَيْن balaḥatayn	الْبَلَحَتَيْن al-balaḥatayn	بَلَحَتَيْ balaḥatay
Nominative	بَلَحَتَانِ balaḥatāni	الْبَلَحَتَانِ al-balaḥatāni	بَلَحَتَا balaḥatā
Accusative	بَلَحَتَيْنِ balaḥatayni	الْبَلَحَتَيْنِ al-balaḥatayni	بَلَحَتَيْ balaḥatay
Genitive	بَلَحَتَيْنِ balaḥatayni	الْبَلَحَتَيْنِ al-balaḥatayni	بَلَحَتَيْ balaḥatay
Paucal (3-10)	sound feminine paucal
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	بَلَحَات balaḥāt	الْبَلَحَات al-balaḥāt	بَلَحَات balaḥāt
Nominative	بَلَحَاتٌ balaḥātun	الْبَلَحَاتُ al-balaḥātu	بَلَحَاتُ balaḥātu
Accusative	بَلَحَاتٍ balaḥātin	الْبَلَحَاتِ al-balaḥāti	بَلَحَاتِ balaḥāti
Genitive	بَلَحَاتٍ balaḥātin	الْبَلَحَاتِ al-balaḥāti	بَلَحَاتِ balaḥāti