Dalal

Meaning and root

From d-l-l (د-ل-ل). *Dalāl* is the manner of someone secure in another's affection — a gentle, unhurried grace. The lexicographers tie it to *dalla ʿalayhi*, to behave with a loved one as one who knows they will be indulged.

Note on the root

The same consonants give *dalīl* ('a guide, a proof') from a different sense of the root — pointing the way. Arabic roots often carry more than one line of meaning, and the two are not to be confused.

Usage

Common in the Gulf.