Quranic root
ليل
l · y · l
The root denotes night as the temporal counterpart of day, with لَيْل referring generally to night and لَيْلَة to an individual or designated night.
The lexical family distinguishes the general night-period from a counted or specified night and its plural forms, including لَيَالٍ and لَيْلَاتٌ.
- Maqāyīs · row 4266
- Mufradāt · row 1336
- 2
- Quran-attested forms
- 2
- Quran senses
- 92
- Quran occurrences
Forms in the Quran
The forms this root actually takes in the Quran. Select one to jump to its senses and examples.
لَيْل
layl
- Part of speech
- Noun
- Quran occurrences
- 84 occurrences
Selected examples are shown with the sense they illustrate — chosen to teach that sense, not the complete list of this form’s Quran occurrences.
Night; the period opposed to daytime.
Used as a temporal noun, including prepositional and adverbial constructions meaning by, in, or at night. Its plural forms include لَيَالٍ and لَيْلَاتٌ; these are grammatical variants of the same lexical branch.
- Mufradāt · row 1336
- Maqāyīs · row 4266
Selected Quran examples
لَيْلَة
laylah
- Part of speech
- Noun
- Quran occurrences
- 8 occurrences
Selected examples are shown with the sense they illustrate — chosen to teach that sense, not the complete list of this form’s Quran occurrences.
A single, counted, or specifically designated night.
Used for an individual night or a night identified by an event or designation, including a specified number of nights and the Night of Decree. Its plural forms include لَيَالٍ and لَيْلَاتٌ.
- Mufradāt · row 1336
- Maqāyīs · row 4266
Selected Quran examples
Occurrences in the Quran
Every place this root appears, in Quran order. The first few are shown here.
- 2:51لَيْلَةًۭnights
- 2:164ٱلَّيْلِof the night
- 2:187لَيْلَةَ(in the) nights
- 2:187ٱلَّيْلِ ۚthe night
- 2:274بِٱلَّيْلِby night
Broader Classical Arabic meanings
Recorded for this root in the Classical lexicons beyond its Quran usage. These are secondary to the Quran senses above.
Show 8 Classical meanings
بَنَاتُ اللَّيْلِ
In the expression بَنَاتُ اللَّيْلِ, wishes and anxieties.
An idiomatic plural expression rather than a separate basic meaning of لَيْل.
- Lane · entry 20782
ابْنُ اللَّيْلِ
In the expression ابْنُ اللَّيْلِ, a thief or robber.
An idiomatic expression.
- Lane · entry 20782
ابْنُ اللَّيْلِ
In the expression ابْنُ اللَّيْلِ, a wayfarer or traveller.
An idiomatic expression with a distinct sense from the use meaning thief or robber.
- Lane · entry 20782
أَخُو اللَّيْلِ
In the expression أَخُو اللَّيْلِ, a nightfarer.
A conventional idiomatic designation for one who travels by night.
- Lane · entry 20782
لَيْلَة
A night-journey or a journey made at night.
A specialized conventional use of لَيْلَة, distinct from its ordinary meaning ‘a night’.
- Lane · entry 20783
لَيْلَة
Used adverbially to refer to a particular night, such as ‘tonight’ or ‘last night’, according to context.
Occurs in temporal expressions with the accusative form لَيْلَةَ.
- Lane · entry 20783
أُمُّ لَيْلَى
Wine; in this expression, لَيْلَى signifies intoxication or ecstasy.
A specialized idiomatic expression, not a general meaning of لَيْل or لَيْلَة.
- Lane · entry 20784
مُلَايَلَة
A night-by-night arrangement or practice, analogous to a daily or monthly arrangement.
A derived verbal noun formed from the notion of night; it is not a synonym for the basic noun ‘night’.
- Lane · entry 20787
Cautions
Points that affect how this root should be read.
The principal meaning ‘night, opposite to day’ is explicit in the root-level and Quran-focused evidence; the main Lane line for لَيْل is a cross-reference rather than a full definition.