سَفَلَ

, aorist سَفُلَ ; (M, MA, Mgh, O, * Msb, K;) and سَفُلَ, aorist سَفُلَ ; (M, Msb, K;) and سَفِلَ, (O, K,) aorist سَفَلَ ; (K;) verbal noun (of the first, Mgh, Msb, TA, and of the last, TA) سُفُولٌ (M, MA, Mgh, Msb, K) and سَفَالٌ (M, MA, K, TA, in the CK [erroneously] سِفال,) and of the second سَفَالَةٌ (TA;) and ↓ تسفّل; (M, K;) He, or it, was, or became, low; (M, * Mgh, O, K; *) the first opposite of عَلَا (Mgh, O;) and the third, of عَلِىَ; and (assumed tropical:) both are said of a man; (O;) سُفُولٌ and سَفَالٌ being the opposite of عُلُوٌّ and عَلاءٌ: (S, K:) or became lower than another: (Msb:) [and] the first signifies it descended, subsided, or sank downwards. (MA.) Hence the phrase بِنْتُ بِنْتِ بِنْتٍ وَإِنْ سَفَلَتْ (assumed tropical:) [A daughter of a daughter of a daughter, and if she be lower in descent]: سَفُلَتْ i. e. with damm to the ف, in this case, is a mistake. (Mgh.) And سَفَلَتْ مَنْزِلَتُهُ عِنْدَ الأَمِيرِ (assumed tropical:) [His station with, or in the estimation of, the commander, governor, or prince, was, or became, low, or lower]. (TA.) And أَمْرُهُمْ فِىسَفَالٍ (assumed tropical:) [Their case is in a low state]. (TA.) And سَفَلَ فِىالشّىْءِ, (K, * TA, [in the former of which the context implies that it is سَفُلَ, but it is]) like نَصَرَ, [aorist سَفُلَ ,] (TA,) verbal noun سُفُولٌ, [It subsided in the thing;] it descended from the upper, or uppermost, part of the thing, to the lower, or lowest, part thereof. (K.)

And سَفُلَ, [aorist سَفُلَ ,] verbal noun سَفَالَةٌ (Fr, S, MA, Mgh, O, K *) and سَفَالِيَةٌ (MA) and سُفْلٌ, (Fr, O,) (assumed tropical:) He was, or became, low, base, vile, ignoble, mean, or sordid; (Fr, S, MA, Mgh, O, K; *) as also سَفَلَ, with fet-h, (Fr, O,) or سَفِلَ. (MA.) You say, سَفَلَ, like قَتَلَ, (Msb,) or سَفُلَ, like كَرُمَ, (K,) فِى خُلُقِهِ, and عَمَلِهِ, (Msb, K,) and نَسَبِهِ, (TA,) [aorist in either case سَفُلَ ,] verbal noun سَفْلٌ (Msb, K) and سُفْلٌ (K) and سِفَالٌ, (Msb, * K, [in the former without any indication of the syll. signs,]) the last like كِتَابٌ; (K;) [and apparently سَفِلَ also according to the MA, as shown above;] and ↓ تسفّل, and ↓ استفل; (TA;) (tropical:) He was low, base, vile, ignoble, or mean, in his lot, [or, as seems to be indicated in the Msb, inferior to others,] in respect of his disposition, and his deed, and his lineage: (TA:) ↓ تسفّل is the opposite of جَادَ. (Msb.)