𐽰𐽰𐾁

Old Uyghur

Etymology 1

Inherited from Proto-Turkic *āl (“scarlet”). Cognate with Old Turkic 𐰞 (al), Tatar ал (al) and Turkish al.

Adjective

𐽰𐽰𐾁 (al /ʾʾl/)

1. red

Compound terms

• 𐽰𐽰𐾁 𐽻𐽰𐽾𐽶𐽵 (al sarïg, “orange”)

Derived terms

• >? 𐽰𐽰𐾁𐽰 (ala, “variegated, hazel”)

Etymology 2

Inherited from Proto-Turkic *āl (“device”). Cognate with Karakhanid آل (āl, “trick, subterfuge”), Mamluk-Kipchak ال (al, “deceit”), Ottoman Turkish آل (al, “trick, trap”).

The word originally had a neutral connotation, used for both 'honorable' and 'dishonorable' methods for war (cf. 𐽰𐽰𐾁 𐽽𐽰𐽱𐽶𐽿 (al čeviš, “war tactics, methods used to win wars”)). Later gained negative connotations in all Turkic languages, including Old Uyghur, although some positive connotations survived.

Noun

𐽰𐽰𐾁 (al /ʾʾl/)

1. tool, gadget, device
   1. weapon, arms for war
2. (derogatory) deceit, cheat, dexterity
   1. skill, ableness
   2. cunning, guile
   3. shrewdness, craftiness, trickiness, subtlety
3. method, way
4. (medicine) remedy, cure
5. (religion, Buddhism) Abhupāya (अभ्युपाय), ritualistic engagement

Compound terms

• 𐽰𐽰𐾁 𐽰𐽰𐾁𐾀𐽰𐽵 (al altag, “method”)
• 𐽰𐽰𐾁 𐽽𐽰𐽱𐽶𐽿 (al čeviš, “war tactics, methods used to win wars”)

Derived terms

• 𐽰𐽰𐾁𐾁𐽶𐽲 (allïg, “cheater, crafty, smart”)
• >? 𐽰𐽰𐾁𐽹𐽶𐽾 (almïr, “enthusiasm, eagerness”)
• 𐽰𐽰𐾁𐽻𐽶𐽴 (alsïz, “unequipped, barehanded”)
• 𐽰𐽰𐾁𐾀𐽰𐽹𐽰𐽷 (altamak, “to cheat, to deceive”)
• >? 𐽰𐽰𐾁𐽱𐽶𐽾𐽹𐽰𐽷 (alvïrmak, “to go mad, get confused”)

Etymology 3

Inherited from Proto-Turkic *al (“front, prior”) and its inflected form *ald-, seen sporadically in corpus. Cognate with Karakhanid الين (alın, “...in the presence of”) Chagatai الين (alïn, “before, in front of”), Kazakh алда (earlier, before), Tuvan адаанда (adaanda, “under”) and Turkish alt (“under”).

Attested quite rarely in other historic Turkic languages, surviving only in select descendants from Proto-Turkic.

Sense 1 "below" is secondary, superseding the original meaning of "front".

Postposition

𐽰𐽰𐾁 (al /ʾʾl/)

1. under, below
2. (rare) front

Derived terms

• >? 𐽰𐽰𐾁𐽰𐽽𐽳 (alaču, “hut, cottage”)
• 𐽰𐽰𐾁𐽸𐽶𐽾𐾀𐽶 (aldïrtï, “under, below”)
• 𐽰𐽰𐾁𐽸𐽶𐽾𐾀𐽶𐽺 (aldïrtïn, “front, frontward, below”)
• 𐽰𐽰𐾁𐽶𐽺 (alïn, “front, face, surface”)
• 𐽰𐽰𐾁𐾀𐽶𐽺 (altïn, “under, young; nadir, antizenith”)

Etymology 4

Orthographic aberration of 𐽰𐽳𐾁 (ʾwl), compare 𐽰𐽰𐾁 (ʾʾl).

Pronoun

𐽰𐽰𐾁 (al /ʾʾl/)

1. Misspelling of 𐽰𐽳𐾁 (ol, “he, she, it; 3rd person singular pronoun”).

See also

Colors in Old Uyghur · 𐽰𐽳𐽶𐽺𐽷 (öŋ) (layout · text)

𐽰𐽰𐽵𐾄 (ak), 𐽽𐽰𐽲𐽰𐽺 (čagan), 𐽶𐽳𐽾𐽳𐽺𐽷 (yürüŋ)	𐽼𐽳𐽴 (boz)	𐽲𐾄𐽰𐽾𐽰 (kara)
𐽰𐽰𐾁 (al), 𐽰𐽶𐽺𐽷𐽶𐽾𐽸𐽶𐽹 (ïŋïrdïm), 𐽲𐾄𐽶𐽴𐽶𐾁 (kïzïl)	𐽰𐽰𐽾 (ar), 𐽼𐽳𐽴𐽳𐽾𐽲𐾄𐽰 (bozurga), 𐽲𐾄𐽳𐾁𐽰 (kula), 𐽶𐽰𐽲𐽶𐽴 (yagïz)	𐽻𐽰𐽾𐽶𐽵 (sarïg), 𐽶𐽰𐽿𐽶𐾁 (yašïl)
	𐽷𐽳𐽶𐽷 (kök), 𐽶𐽰𐽿𐽶𐾁 (yašïl)
	𐽽𐽰𐽷𐽶𐽾 (čakïr), 𐽷𐽳𐽶𐽷 (kök)
	𐽶𐽶𐽼𐽷𐽶𐽺 (yipgin, yépgin)

References

• Caferoğlu, Ahmet (1968) “al”, in Eski Uygur Türkçesi Sözlüğü (Türk Dil Kurumu Yayınları; 260) (in Turkish), Istanbul: Edebiyat Fakültesi Basımevi, page 10
• Clauson, Gerard (1972) “(1) a:l, (2) a:l, (3) al”, in An Etymological Dictionary of pre-thirteenth-century Turkish, Oxford: Clarendon Press, pages 120, 121
• Hamilton, James (2020) “al, ʾʾL”, in Korkut, Ece, Birkan, İsmet, transl., Budacı İyi Kalpli ve Kötü Kalpli Prens Masalının Uygurcası - Prens Kalyāṇaṃkara ve Pāpaṃkara Hikâyesi (in Turkish), Ankara: Türk Dil Kurumu Yayınları, →ISBN, page 165
• Wilkens, Jens (2021) “(1), (2), (4) al”, in Handworterbuch des Altuigurischen, Göttingen: Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen, pages 26, 27