alili

Kapampangan

Etymology

Cognate to Tagalog halili.

Verb

alíli

1. to take someone's place

Tashelhit

ايفراون ن وليلي (ifrawn n ulili)

Etymology

Etymology tree

substrateder.

Ancient Greek λείριον (leírion)bor.

Latin līliumbor.

Proto-Berber *a-lili

Medieval Tashelhit اليلى (alili)

Tashelhit alili

Inherited from Medieval Tashelhit اليلى (alili, “oleander”), from Proto-Berber *a-lili (“oleander”), borrowed from Latin līlium (“lily”), from Ancient Greek λείριον (leírion), ultimately from a Mediterranean substrate language.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /alili/

Noun

alili m (plural ililitn, Tifinagh spelling ⴰⵍⵉⵍⵉ, Arabic spelling آليلي)

1. oleander (Nerium oleander)

   ايفولكي وليلي ميش يحرّا. ― ifulki ulili mic iḥrra ― The oleander is beautiful but it is bitter

2. (figurative) symbol of suffering, and in particular of the suffering brought by death.

   ايمّيم وايدا ن الدّونيت، ميش يوالاتيد وليلي، نغ يرا الرّوح ا يفّوغ، آوين ك س القبرِ.

   immim wayda n ddunit, mic iwala t id-i ulili, nɣ ira rruḥ a iffuɣ, awin k s lqbr-i.

   The possessions of this world are sweet, but they leave behind a taste of oleander; for the soul must leave this lower world, and then you are carried to your grave.

Inflection

Inflection of alili

	singular	plural
free state	alili	ililitn
annexed state	ulili	ililitn

See also

• ajddig (“flower”)
• imɣi (“plant”)
• tuga (“grass”)

References

• Stroomer, Harry (2025), Dictionnaire berbère tachelḥiyt-français — Tome 1 A–E (Handbook of Oriental Studies – Handbuch der Orientalistik; 188/1) (in French), Leiden, Netherlands: Brill, →DOI, →ISBN, page 235b

Tokelauan

Etymology

From Proto-Polynesian *qalili, from Proto-Oceanic *qaliliŋ, from Proto-Malayo-Polynesian *qaliliŋ. Cognates include Samoan alili and Tongan ʻelili.

Noun

alili

1. mollusc
2. the leadline of a fishing net, so-named as it was formerly weighted with mollusc shells

References

• R. Simona, editor (1986), Tokelau Dictionary‎^[2], Auckland: Office of Tokelau Affairs, page 12