سنبلة

Arabic

Etymology

Analyzable as singulative noun composed of سُنْبُل‎ (sunbul, “ear, spike”) +‎ ـَة‎ (-a). Said to be borrowed from Aramaic שבלתא‎ (šebaltā),‎ שבלא‎ (šebalā),‎ ܫܶܒܰܠܬܳܐ‎ (šebaltā),‎ ܫܶܒܠܳܐ‎ (šebalā) with an /n/ excrescence. Indeed this can be presumed to be the case – even though it cannot be determined if the collective or the singular is the borrowing and which is derived from the other –, as even though the Aramaic š is here not rendered as ش‎ (š), the form سَبَلَة‎ (sabala) seems to represent the genuine Arabic word and the borrowing could have gotten the initial consonant confused by speakers because of the native word, or the points been set wrongly in the Qurʾān text, while the shape of the word itself is un-Arabic and does not match with a root, whereas the root س ب ل‎ (s-b-l) has the verb form IV أَسْبَلَ‎ (ʾasbala, “to let down, to let hang out”); there is no need to assume like Freytag that the word سَبَل‎ (sabal) has arisen from سُنْبُل‎ (sunbul), and it is unlikely considering the vocalism difference and the numerous other meanings related to falling down of this same word. One has to keep in mind the likelihood of the Arabs borrowing agricultural terms because of their nomadic style of life.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /sun.bu.la/

Noun

سُنْبُلَة • (sunbula) f (singulative, collective سُنْبُل‎ (sunbul), plural سَنَابِل‎ (sanābil))

ear, spike (of a crop)
- 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 2:261:
  
  ‏مَثَلُ الَّذِينَ يُنْفِقُونَ أَمْوَالَهُم فِي سَبِيلِ اللّٰهِ كَمَثَلِ حَبَّةٍ أَنْبَتَت سَبْعَ سَنَابِلَ فِي كُلِّ سُنْبُلَةٍ مِئَةُ حَبَّةٍ‎
  maṯalu allaḏīna yunfiqūna ʾamwālahum fī sabīli llāhi kamaṯali ḥabbatin ʾanbatat sabʿa sanābila fī kulli sunbulatin miʾatu ḥabbatin
  Those who spend their wealth in the way of God are like a grain which grows seven ears, (and) in each ear a hundred grains

Declension

Declension of noun سُنْبُلَة (sunbula)

Singulative	singulative triptote in ـَة (-a)
Singulative	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	سُنْبُلَة sunbula	السُّنْبُلَة‎ as-sunbula	سُنْبُلَة sunbulat
Nominative	سُنْبُلَةٌ sunbulatun	السُّنْبُلَةُ‎ as-sunbulatu	سُنْبُلَةُ sunbulatu
Accusative	سُنْبُلَةً sunbulatan	السُّنْبُلَةَ‎ as-sunbulata	سُنْبُلَةَ sunbulata
Genitive	سُنْبُلَةٍ sunbulatin	السُّنْبُلَةِ‎ as-sunbulati	سُنْبُلَةِ sunbulati
Collective	basic collective triptote
Collective	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	سُنْبُل‎ sunbul	السُّنْبُل‎ as-sunbul	سُنْبُل‎ sunbul
Nominative	سُنْبُلٌ‎ sunbulun	السُّنْبُلُ‎ as-sunbulu	سُنْبُلُ‎ sunbulu
Accusative	سُنْبُلًا‎ sunbulan	السُّنْبُلَ‎ as-sunbula	سُنْبُلَ‎ sunbula
Genitive	سُنْبُلٍ‎ sunbulin	السُّنْبُلِ‎ as-sunbuli	سُنْبُلِ‎ sunbuli
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	سُنْبُلَتَيْن‎ sunbulatayn	السُّنْبُلَتَيْن‎ as-sunbulatayn	سُنْبُلَتَيْ‎ sunbulatay
Nominative	سُنْبُلَتَانِ‎ sunbulatāni	السُّنْبُلَتَانِ‎ as-sunbulatāni	سُنْبُلَتَا‎ sunbulatā
Accusative	سُنْبُلَتَيْنِ‎ sunbulatayni	السُّنْبُلَتَيْنِ‎ as-sunbulatayni	سُنْبُلَتَيْ‎ sunbulatay
Genitive	سُنْبُلَتَيْنِ‎ sunbulatayni	السُّنْبُلَتَيْنِ‎ as-sunbulatayni	سُنْبُلَتَيْ‎ sunbulatay
Paucal (3-10)	sound feminine paucal
Paucal (3-10)	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	سُنْبُلَات‎ sunbulāt	السُّنْبُلَات‎ as-sunbulāt	سُنْبُلَات‎ sunbulāt
Nominative	سُنْبُلَاتٌ‎ sunbulātun	السُّنْبُلَاتُ‎ as-sunbulātu	سُنْبُلَاتُ‎ sunbulātu
Accusative	سُنْبُلَاتٍ‎ sunbulātin	السُّنْبُلَاتِ‎ as-sunbulāti	سُنْبُلَاتِ‎ sunbulāti
Genitive	سُنْبُلَاتٍ‎ sunbulātin	السُّنْبُلَاتِ‎ as-sunbulāti	سُنْبُلَاتِ‎ sunbulāti
Plural of variety	basic broken plural diptote
Plural of variety	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	سَنَابِل‎ sanābil	السَّنَابِل‎ as-sanābil	سَنَابِل‎ sanābil
Nominative	سَنَابِلُ‎ sanābilu	السَّنَابِلُ‎ as-sanābilu	سَنَابِلُ‎ sanābilu
Accusative	سَنَابِلَ‎ sanābila	السَّنَابِلَ‎ as-sanābila	سَنَابِلَ‎ sanābila
Genitive	سَنَابِلَ‎ sanābila	السَّنَابِلِ‎ as-sanābili	سَنَابِلِ‎ sanābili

References

Freytag, Georg (1833), “سَبَلٌ”, in Lexicon arabico-latinum praesertim ex Djeuharii Firuzabadiique et aliorum Arabum operibus adhibitis Golii quoque et aliorum libris confectum (in Latin), volume 2, Halle: C. A. Schwetschke, page 281
Jeffery, Arthur (1938) The Foreign Vocabulary of the Qurʾān (Gaekwad’s Oriental Series; 79), Baroda: Oriental Institute, page 178–179

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