على

From Proto-Semitic *ʕalay- (“on, over”). Cognate with Akkadian 𒌋𒅗 (eli), Hebrew עַל ('al), עֲלֵי ('aléi), Aramaic עַל (ʿal).

• IPA^(key): /ʕa.laː/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aː, -laː
• Homophone: عَلَا (ʕalā)

عَلَى • (ʕalā)

1. on, over
2. against

   يَوْمٌ لَكَ وَيَوْمٌ عَلَيْكَ

   yawmun laka wayawmun ʕalayka

   one day for you, and one day against you

   سَجَّلَ ٱللَّاعِبُ خَمْسَةَ أَهْدَافٍ عَلَى خَصْمِهِ

   sajjala l-lāʕibu ḵamsata ʔahdāfin ʕalā ḵaṣmihi

   The player scored five goals against his opponent.

3. expresses obligation
   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 24:54:

     وَمَا عَلَى الرَّسُولِ إلَّا الْبَلَاغُ الْمُبِينُ

     wamā ʕalā r-rasūli ʔillā l-balāḡu l-mubīnu

     And the Messenger's only duty is to deliver messages clearly

4. despite
   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 13:6:

     وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَذُو مَغْفِرَةٍ لِلنَّاسِ عَلَى ظُلْمِهِمْ

     wa-ʔinna rabbaka laḏū maḡfiratin li-n-nāsi ʕalā ẓulmihim

     And indeed, your Lord is full of forgiveness for the people despite their wrongdoing

5. on condition, provided
   • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 28:27:

     قَالَ إِنِّي أُرِيدُ أَنْ أُنْكِحَكَ إِحْدَى ٱبْنَتَيَّ هَاتَيْنِ عَلَى أَن تَأْجُرَنِي ثَمَانِيَ حِجَجٍ

     qāla ʔinnī ʔurīdu ʔan ʔunkiḥaka ʔiḥdā bnatayya hātayni ʕalā ʔan taʔjuranī ṯamāniya ḥijajin

     He said, "Indeed, I wish to wed you one of these, my two daughters, on the condition that you serve me for eight years,"

• (antonym(s) of “against”): لِـ (li-)

• بِنَاءاً عَلَيْهْ (bināʔan ʕalayh)
• صَلَّى ٱللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ (ṣallā llāhu ʕalayhī wa-ʔālihī wa-sallama)
• عَلَيْهِ ٱلصَّلَاةُ وَٱلسَّلَامُ (ʕalayhi ṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu)
• عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ (ʕalayhi s-salāmu)
• سَلَامُ ٱللّٰهِ عَلَيْهِ (salāmu llāhi ʕalayhi)
• عَلَامَ (ʕalāma)

• Maltese: għal

(via third-person singular masculine form عَلَيْهِ (ʕalayhi)):

• → Azerbaijani: əleyh
• → Persian: علیه ('aleyh)
• → Uzbek: alayh

Morphologically from the root ع ل ي (ʕ-l-y).

• IPA^(key): /ʕa.laː/

• Audio

  (file)

• Homophone: عَلَا (ʕalā)

عَلَى • (ʕalā) I, non-past يَعْلِي‎ (yaʕlī)

1. (transitive) to climb.

Morphologically from the root ع ل ي (ʕ-l-y).

• IPA^(key): /ʕu.lan/

عُلًى • (ʕulan) f pl

1. feminine plural of أَعْلَى (ʔaʕlā)

• Freytag, Georg (1835) “على”, in Lexicon arabico-latinum praesertim ex Djeuharii Firuzabadiique et aliorum Arabum operibus adhibitis Golii quoque et aliorum libris confectum‎ (in Latin), volume 3, Halle: C. A. Schwetschke, pages 215–216
• Kazimirski, Albin de Biberstein (1860) “على”, in Dictionnaire arabe-français contenant toutes les racines de la langue arabe, leurs dérivés, tant dans l’idiome vulgaire que dans l’idiome littéral, ainsi que les dialectes d’Alger et de Maroc‎ (in French), volume 2, Paris: Maisonneuve et C^ie, pages 352–356
• Wehr, Hans (1979) “على”, in J. Milton Cowan, editor, A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, 4th edition, Ithaca, NY: Spoken Language Services, →ISBN, pages 746–750

• ع (ʕa-)

From Arabic عَلَى (ʕalā).

• IPA^(key): /ʕala/

على • (ʕala)

1. on, upon

From Arabic عَلَى (ʕalā).

• IPA^(key): /ʕala/

على • (ʕala)

1. on, over

   Synonym: عَـ (ʕa, “on, over”)

   حتلاقيه على الرف/عالرف

   ḥatlāgī ʕala al-raff/ʕal-raff

   You will find it on rack

2. against

   يوم ليك و يوم عليك

   yōm līk u yōm ʕalēk

   one day for you, and one day against you

3. despite

From Arabic عَلَى (ʕalā).

• IPA^(key): /ʕla/

على • (ʕla)

1. on; upon; onto
2. against
3. expresses obligation

• ع (ʕa-)

From Arabic عَلَى (ʕalā).

على • (ʕala)

1. on; upon; onto
2. (by extension) with a hint of
3. about (a topic)
4. to (a place)

   عم نسافر ع بيروت

   ʕam nsāfir ʕa bayrūt

   We’re travelling to Beirut.

5. Used with an adjective given the definite article, marking it as an adverb

• The personal forms are built from the stem ʕlay- or ʕalay- as in عليكن (ʕ(a)laykun, “on you”).
• Sense 2 is construed as "A على B"; literally, "A on B". A is the dominant element in such a construction, not B, even though this seems to conflict with a literal reading:
  1. بوظا على جوز

     būẓa ʕala jōz

     walnut-flavored ice cream, or ice cream with walnuts

     (literally, “ice cream on walnuts”)

  2. جوز على بوظا

     jōz ʕala būẓa

     ice-cream-flavored walnuts

     (literally, “walnuts on ice cream”)

Picture dictionary
على فوق تحت بـ/ في قدام ورا على جنب بين
Prepositions of location

From Arabic عَلَى (ʕalā).

• Shortened form: عـ (ʕa-)

• IPA^(key): /ʕa.la/, [ˈʕa.la]

• Audio (Ramallah)

  (file)

على • (ʕala)

1. to, toward

   Antonym: من (min)

   الختيار راح عالمستشفى.

   il-ḵityār rāḥ ʕal-mustašfa

   The old man went to the hospital.

   إمّي دخلت عالبيت.

   ʔimmi daḵlat ʕal-bēt

   My mother went into the house.

   (literally, “My mother entered to the house.”)

   قدّيش دفعت عليه؟

   ʔaddēš dafaʕt ʕalēh

   How much did you pay for it?

   (literally, “How much did you pay toward it?”)

2. (location) on, onto, over

   Synonym: فوق (fōʔ, “above”)

   حطّه عالطاولة.

   ḥoṭṭo ʕaṭ-ṭāwle

   Put it on the table.

3. (time) at, on

   خلّينا نلتقي على ساعة ستّة.

   ḵallīna niltʔi ʕala sāʕa sitte

   Let's meet at six o'clock.

4. (auxiliary) must, should

   Synonym: لازم (lāzem)

   قرّرنا نعمل اللي علينا ونتّكل على ربّنا.

   ʔarrarna niʕmil illi ʕalēna w nittakil ʕala rabbna

   We resolved to do what we must and trust in God.

   إلي عليك ألف شيكل.

   ʔili ʕalēk ʔalf šēkel

   You owe me one thousand shekels.

   (literally, “You must to me one thousand shekels.”)

From Arabic عَلَّى (ʕallā).

• IPA^(key): /ʕal.la/, [ˈʕal.la]

• Audio (al-Lidd)

  (file)

علّى • (ʕalla) II (present بعلّي (biʕalli))

1. to raise (the volume, one's voice, etc.)

   Antonym: وطّى (waṭṭa)