دل

Arabic

Etymology

From the root د ل ل (d-l-l).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dal.la/

Verb

1. to show, to indicate, to direct
2. [+ على] to be evidence of, to be proof of, to attest to, to demonstrate, to establish, to substantiate
3. [+ على] to denote, to designate, to signify, to suggest

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Baluchi

Etymology

From Persian دل (del), from Proto-Iranian *jŕ̥dayam, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *ȷ́ʰŕ̥dayam, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱḗr.

Compare Avestan 𐬰𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬛 (zərəd), old Mazanderani زیله (zila) Sanskrit हृदय (hṛdaya), Armenian սիրտ (sirt), and English heart.

Doublet of زرد, which was inherited.

Noun

دل • (dil)

1. (anatomy) heart

   Synonym: زرد (zird)

Derived terms

• دلبر (dilbar, “sweetheart, beloved”)
• دلکهر (dilkahr, “heartbroken”)
• زنده‌دل (zinda-dil, “lively”)
• شیردل (šérdel, “brave”)

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Gujarati

Etymology

Borrowed from Persian دل (del) or Urdu دل (dil), itself from Persian, both from Proto-Iranian *jŕ̥dayam, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *ȷ́ʰŕ̥dayam.

Noun

دل • (dil) n (Standard Gujarati દિલ)

1. (Lisan ud-Dawat) heart

   Synonyms: ھيّوں (haiyũ), ھردہ (hirdā), قلب (qalb), فؤاد (fuwād)

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Laki

Noun

دل (dil)

1. heart

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Ottoman Turkish

Etymology 1

From Proto-Turkic *til, *tïl (“tongue; language”).

Alternative forms

• دیل (dil)

Noun

دل • (dil)

1. tongue (organ)
2. anything shaped like a tongue
   1. (geography) spit, promontory
   2. tenon
3. tongue (language)
4. a prisoner taken to gain information

Derived terms

• دل باغی (dil bağı, “frenulum”)
• دلجك (dılak, “clitoris”)

Descendants

• Turkish: dil

Etymology 2

From Persian دل (dil).

Noun

دل • (dil)

1. heart (organ)

   Synonyms: یورك (yürek), قلب (kalb)

2. (figurative) heart, courage; mind, feelings

   Synonym: گوڭل (göñül)

Descendants

• Turkish: dil

References

• Kélékian, Diran (1911) “دل”, in Dictionnaire turc-français‎^[1], Constantinople: Mihran, page 600
• Nişanyan, Sevan (2002–) “dil1”, in Nişanyan Sözlük
• Nişanyan, Sevan (2002–) “dil2”, in Nişanyan Sözlük
• Redhouse, James W. (1890) “دل”, in A Turkish and English Lexicon‎^[2], Constantinople: A. H. Boyajian, page 910

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Persian

Etymology

From Middle Persian 𐭣𐭩𐭫 (dyl /⁠dil⁠/), from Proto-Iranian *jŕ̥dayam, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *ȷ́ʰŕ̥dayam, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱḗr; with a regular phonetic shift *ȷ́ŕ̥d- > *dŕ̥d > *dŕ̥l > dil. For the phonetic change, compare گل (gol) and سالار (sâlâr).

Cognates with Parthian 𐫉𐫏𐫡𐫅 (zyrd /⁠zirδ⁠/), Avestan 𐬰𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬛 (zərəd), old Mazanderani زیله (zila), Northern Kurdish dil, Sanskrit हृदय (hṛdaya), Armenian սիրտ (sirt), and English heart.

Pronunciation

Readings
Classical reading?	d
Dari reading?	d
Iranian reading?	d
Tajik reading?	d

Noun

Dari	دل
Iranian Persian
Tajik	дил

دل • (del) (plural دل‌ها (del-hâ))

1. (original sense, now less common) heart

   Synonym: (now more common) قلب (qalb)

2. (now common) stomach

   دلم درد می‌کند ― del-am dard mi-konad ― I have a stomachache

3. mind; (figurative) the heart (as the seat of emotion)

   دلم شکست ― del-am šekast ― my heart is broken

4. courage

Derived terms

Derived terms

• دلبر (delbar)
• همدل (hamdel)
• اهل دل (ahl-e del)
• دلباخته (delbâxte)
• بزدل (bozdel)
• شیردل (širdel)
• دلسوز (delsuz)
• دلتنگ (deltang)
• دل دادن (del dādan)
• دلداده (deldāde)
• دلدار (deldār)
• دلاور (delâvar)
  • دلیر (dalir)

Borrowed terms

• → Judeo-Tat: дуьл (dyl)
• → Azerbaijani: dil
• → Middle Bengali: দেল (del)
  • Bengali: দিল (dil)
• → Gujarati: દિલ (dil)

  Lisan ud-Dawat Gujarati: دل (dil)

• → Old Hindi: दिल (dila)
  • Hindustani: dil

    Hindi: दिल

    Urdu: دِل (dil)

• → Maithili: dil

  Devanagari script: दिल

  Tirhuta script: 𑒠𑒱𑒪

• → Marathi: दिल (dil)
• → Marwari: दिल (dil)
• → Nepali: दिल (dil)
• → Odia: ଦିଲ (dila)
• → Old Punjabi: ਦਿਲੁ (dilu)
  • Punjabi: dil

    Gurmukhi script: ਦਿਲ

    Shahmukhi script: دِل

• → Ottoman Turkish: دل
  • Turkish: dil
• → Sindhi:

  Arabic script: دِلُ

  Devanagari script: दिलु

• → Yagnobi: дил (dil)

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Punjabi

Etymology

Borrowed form Classical Persian دل (dil). First attested as Old Punjabi ਦਿਲੁ (dilu).

Noun

دِل • (dil) m (Gurmukhi spelling ਦਿਲ)

1. heart
2. mind
3. soul
4. spirit, valor
5. courage

Declension

Declension of دل
dir. sg.	دِل (dil)
dir. pl.	دِل (dil)
	singular	plural
direct	دِل (dil)	دِل (dil)
oblique	دِل (dil)	دِلاں (dilāṉ)
vocative	دِلا (dilā)	دِلو (dilo)
ablative	دِلوں (diloṉ)	دِلاں (dilāṉ)
locative	دِلے (dile)	دِلِیں (dilīṉ)
instrumental	دِلوں (diloṉ)	–

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South Levantine Arabic

Root
د ل ل
2 terms

Etymology

From Arabic دَلَّ (dalla).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dall/, [dal]

• Audio (al-Lidd):

  (file)

Verb

دلّ • (dall) I (present بدلّ (bidill))

1. to guide, to direct, to indicate

   Synonyms: أرشد (ʔaršad), أشر (ʔaššar)

Conjugation

Conjugation of دلّ (dall)
		singular				plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person		1st person	2nd person	3rd person
past	m	دلّيت (dallēt)	دلّيت (dallēt)	دلّ (dall)		دلّينا (dallēna)	دلّيتو (dallētu)	دلّو (dallu)
	f		دلّيتي (dallēti)	دلّت (dallat)
present	m	بدلّ (badill)	بتدلّ (bitdill)	بدلّ (bidill)		مندلّ (mindill)	بتدلّو (bitdillu)	بدلّو (bidillu)
	f		بتدلّي (bitdilli)	بتدلّ (bitdill)
subjunctive	m	ادلّ (adill)	تدلّ (tdill)	يدلّ (ydill)		ندلّ (ndill)	تدلّو (tdillu)	يدلّو (ydillu)
	f		تدلّي (tdilli)	تدلّ (tdill)
imperative	m		دلّ (dill)				دلّو (dillu)
	f		دلّي (dilli)

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Urdu

Etymology

Borrowed from Classical Persian دل (dil). First attested as Old Hindi दिल (dila).

Pronunciation

• (Standard Urdu) IPA^(key): /d̪ɪl/
• Rhymes: -ɪl

Noun

دِل • (dil) m (Hindi spelling दिल)

1. heart

   Synonym: قلب (qalb)

2. (figuratively) mind

   Synonyms: من (man), دماغ (dimāġ)

3. (figuratively) wish

Declension

Declension of دل
	singular	plural
direct	دل (dil)	دل (dil)
oblique	دل (dil)	دلوں (dilō̃)
vocative	دل (dil)	دلو (dilō)

Further reading

• “دل”, in اُردُو لُغَت (urdū luġat) (in Urdu), Ministry of Education: Government of Pakistan, 2017.
• “دل”, in ریخْتَہ لُغَت (rexta luġat) - Rekhta Dictionary [Urdu dictionary with meanings in Hindi & English], Noida, India: Rekhta Foundation, 2024.
• Template:R:UR-HI-EN
• Qureshi, Bashir Ahmad (1971) “دل”, in Kitabistan's 20th Century Standard Dictionary‎, Lahore: Kitabistan Pub. Co., page 312