عِيَالٌ

, belonging to this article and to article عيل; (K, mentioned in the S and O in the latter article;) or its ى is substituted for و, for it is from عَالَ, aorist يَعُولُ, in the first of the senses explained above, and seems to be a verbal noun used in the sense of a pass. particle n.; (IB, TA;) [and if so, it may be used as a singular (as it is in the Ksh and by Bd in xvi. 78 and in the S and Mgh &c. voce كَلٌّ and in the O and K voce حَمِيلَةٌ) and also as a plural; but in general] it signifies A family, or household; (Msb;) [i. e.,] a man's عِيَال are the persons whom he feeds, nourishes, or sustains; (S, O, Msb, K;) or the persons who dwell with him, and whose expenses are incumbent on him, as his young man, or slave, his wife, and his young child: (KT:) and ↓ عَيِّلٌ signifies the same: (K:) or this latter (which is originally عَيْوِلٌ, TA) is singular of عِيَالٌ x(S, Mgh, O, Msb) and of عَيَايءِلُ, (S, O,) like as جَيِّدٌ is singular of جِيَادٌ (S, Mgh, O, Msb) and of جَيَايءِدُ; (S, O;) the last being a plural plural, (K in article عيل,) [as also عِيَالَاتٌ, of which see an example voce أزْمَلٌ;] but is sometimes used as a plural, for عَشَرَةُ عَيِّلٍ, according to an example in a tradition, signifies ten persons fed, nourished, or sustained, by a man: (TA:) or the plural [of ↓ عَيِّلٌ] is عَالَةٌ, (Kr, K,) [like as سَادَةٌ is said to be plural of سَيِّدٌ,] or, according to ISd, it is plural of عَايءِلٌ, [q. v. in article عيل, and in like manner سَادَةٌ is held by him to be plural of سَايءِدٌ, not of سَيِّدٌ,] for [he says that] a word of the measure فَيْعِلٌ never forms a plural [like عَالَةٌ, which is] of the measure فَعَلَةٌ; (TA;) and [عَيَايءِلُ is applied to women, for] one says نِسْوَةٌ عَيَايءِلُ. (K.) العِيَالُ [as meaning (assumed tropical:) The dependants for sustenance] is also used, metaphorically, in relation to birds, and to predaceous and other beasts. (TA.) And أُمُّ العِيَالِ is a name for (assumed tropical:) The cooking-pot. (T in article ام.)