فلك

See also: فلک

Arabic

Etymology 1

Belonging to the root ف ل ك (f l k).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fa.lak/

Noun

فَلَك • (falak) m (plural أَفْلَاك (ʔaflāk))

1. orbit, rounded course
   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 21:33:

     وَهُوَ ٱلَّذِي خَلَقَ ٱللَّيْلَ وَٱلنَّهَارَ وَٱلشَّمْسَ وَٱلْقَمَرَ كُلٌّ فِي فَلَكٍ يَسْبَحُونَ

     wahuwa llaḏī ḵalaqa l-layla wan-nahāra waš-šamsa wal-qamara kullun fī falakin yasbaḥūna

     And He is the One Who created the day and the night, the sun and the moon—each travelling in an orbit.

2. sphere
3. sky, outer space, universe, (figurative) heaven
4. orb
5. Ellipsis of عِلْم الْفَلَك (ʕilm al-falak, “astronomy”).
6. (mythology) falak, ouroboros

Usage notes

This word is the ancient version of كون (which has been used in Arabic since the sixth century, unlike فلك), it means roughly Heaven, but unlike English, it isn’t limited to positive and divine worlds, as it can also describe the dwellings of demons and spirits. See also ذر (a spiritual universe in Islamic cosmogony, named as such because the offspring of Adam had come out of his back as if they were small ants).

Declension

Singular	basic singular triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	فَلَك falak	الْفَلَك al-falak	فَلَك falak
Nominative	فَلَكٌ falakun	الْفَلَكُ al-falaku	فَلَكُ falaku
Accusative	فَلَكًا falakan	الْفَلَكَ al-falaka	فَلَكَ falaka
Genitive	فَلَكٍ falakin	الْفَلَكِ al-falaki	فَلَكِ falaki
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	فَلَكَيْن falakayn	الْفَلَكَيْن al-falakayn	فَلَكَيْ falakay
Nominative	فَلَكَانِ falakāni	الْفَلَكَانِ al-falakāni	فَلَكَا falakā
Accusative	فَلَكَيْنِ falakayni	الْفَلَكَيْنِ al-falakayni	فَلَكَيْ falakay
Genitive	فَلَكَيْنِ falakayni	الْفَلَكَيْنِ al-falakayni	فَلَكَيْ falakay
Plural	basic broken plural triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	أَفْلَاك ʔaflāk	الْأَفْلَاك al-ʔaflāk	أَفْلَاك ʔaflāk
Nominative	أَفْلَاكٌ ʔaflākun	الْأَفْلَاكُ al-ʔaflāku	أَفْلَاكُ ʔaflāku
Accusative	أَفْلَاكًا ʔaflākan	الْأَفْلَاكَ al-ʔaflāka	أَفْلَاكَ ʔaflāka
Genitive	أَفْلَاكٍ ʔaflākin	الْأَفْلَاكِ al-ʔaflāki	أَفْلَاكِ ʔaflāki

Declension of noun فَلَك (falak)

Derived terms

• فَلَكِيّ (falakiyy, “astronomical”)

Descendants

• → Amharic: ፈለክ (fäläk)
• → Azerbaijani: fələk
• → Ge'ez: ፈለክ (fäläk)
• → Malay: falak
  • Indonesian: falak
• → Persian: فلک (falak)
  • → Hindustani:

    Hindi: फ़लक (falak)

    Urdu: فلک (falak)

  • → Punjabi:

    Gurmukhi script: ਫ਼ਲਕ (falak)

    Shahmukhi script: فلک (falak)

• → Swahili: falaki
• → Turkish: felek
• → Uzbek: falak

References

• Leslau, Wolf (1991) Comparative Dictionary of Geʿez (Classical Ethiopic), 2nd edition, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, →ISBN, page 159

Etymology 2

Belonging to the root ف ل ك (f l k). Perhaps, however, unrelated to etymology 1 and instead from Ancient Greek ἐφόλκιον (ephólkion).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fulk/

Noun

فُلْك • (fulk) m or f (plural فُلْك (fulk))

1. (nautical) ship

   Synonym: سَفِينَة (safīna)

   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 17:66:

     رَبُّكُمُ الَّذِي يُزْجِي لَكُمُ الْفُلْكَ فِي الْبَحْرِ لِتَبْتَغُوا مِن فَضْلِهِ إِنَّهُ كَانَ بِكُمْ رَحِيمًا

     rabbukumu llaḏī yuzjī lakumu al-fulka fī l-baḥri litabtaḡū min faḍlihi ʔinnahu kāna bikum raḥīman

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Declension

Singular	basic singular triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	فُلْك fulk	الْفُلْك al-fulk	فُلْك fulk
Nominative	فُلْكٌ fulkun	الْفُلْكُ al-fulku	فُلْكُ fulku
Accusative	فُلْكًا fulkan	الْفُلْكَ al-fulka	فُلْكَ fulka
Genitive	فُلْكٍ fulkin	الْفُلْكِ al-fulki	فُلْكِ fulki
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	فُلْكَيْن fulkayn	الْفُلْكَيْن al-fulkayn	فُلْكَيْ fulkay
Nominative	فُلْكَانِ fulkāni	الْفُلْكَانِ al-fulkāni	فُلْكَا fulkā
Accusative	فُلْكَيْنِ fulkayni	الْفُلْكَيْنِ al-fulkayni	فُلْكَيْ fulkay
Genitive	فُلْكَيْنِ fulkayni	الْفُلْكَيْنِ al-fulkayni	فُلْكَيْ fulkay
Plural	basic broken plural triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	فُلْك fulk	الْفُلْك al-fulk	فُلْك fulk
Nominative	فُلْكٌ fulkun	الْفُلْكُ al-fulku	فُلْكُ fulku
Accusative	فُلْكًا fulkan	الْفُلْكَ al-fulka	فُلْكَ fulka
Genitive	فُلْكٍ fulkin	الْفُلْكِ al-fulki	فُلْكِ fulki

Declension of noun فُلْك (fulk)

Descendants

• → Swahili: falka (perhaps)

References

• Fraenkel, Siegmund (1886) Die aramäischen Fremdwörter im Arabischen (in German), Leiden: E. J. Brill, page 212
• Jeffery, Arthur (1938) The Foreign Vocabulary of the Qurʾān (Gaekwad’s Oriental Series; 79), Baroda: Oriental Institute, pages 229-230
• Vollers, Karl (1897) “Beiträge zur Kenntniss der lebenden arabischen Sprache in Aegypten”, in Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft‎ (in German), volume 51, page 300