عليون

Arabic

Etymology 1

عَلِيّ‎ (ʿaliyy) +‎ ـُونَ‎ (-ūna)

Adjective

عَلِيُّونَ • (ʿaliyyūna) m pl

plural of عَلِيّ‎ (ʿaliyy)

Etymology 2

عِلِّيّ‎ (ʿilliyy) +‎ ـُونَ‎ (-ūna)

Adjective

عِلِّيُّونَ • (ʿilliyyūna) m pl

plural of عِلِّيّ‎ (ʿilliyy)

Etymology 3

From a merger of Hebrew עֶלְיוֹן‎ (ʿelyṓn, “high, upper; God”) and the root ع ل ي‎ (ʿ-l-y), with the last segment of the Hebrew word being taken to be a masculine plural suffix appended to عِلِّيّ‎ (ʿilliyy), hence blending with the pluralizing inflection عِلِّيّ‎ (ʿilliyy) +‎ ـُونَ‎ (-ūna).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ʕil.lij.juːn/

Proper noun

عِلِّيُّون • (ʿilliyyūn) m (hapax)

The meaning of this term is uncertain. Possibilities include:
- 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 83:18-19:
  ‏كَلَّا إِنَّ كِتَابَ الْأَبْرَارِ لَفِي عِلِّيِّينَ وَمَا أَدْرَاكَ مَا عِلِّيُّونَ‎
  kallā ʾinna kitāba l-ʾabrāri lafī ʿilliyyīna wamā ʾadrāka mā ʿilliyyūna
  Forsooth the record of the righteous is in ʿilliyyīn, and what makes you know what ʿilliyyūn is?
1. uppermost heaven, a place only accessible to divines
2. a list of deeds of mortals kept in such a place
3. godly wardens who keep a list of deeds of mortals or other special knowledge
4. God, Allah

Declension

Declension of noun عِلِّيُّون (ʿilliyyūn)

Plural	sound masculine plural
Plural	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	—	عِلِّيِّين‎ ʿilliyyīn	—
Nominative	—	عِلِّيُّونَ ʿilliyyūna	—
Accusative	—	عِلِّيِّينَ‎ ʿilliyyīna	—
Genitive	—	عِلِّيِّينَ‎ ʿilliyyīna	—

References

Ahrens, Karl (1930), “Christliches im Qoran. Eine Nachlese”, in Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft‎ (in German), volume 84, page 20
Fraenkel, Siegmund (1880) De vocabulis in antiquis Arabum carminibus et in Corano peregrinis‎ (in Latin), Leiden: E. J. Brill, page 23
Fraenkel, Siegmund (1886) Die aramäischen Fremdwörter im Arabischen (in German), Leiden: E. J. Brill, page 157
Nöldeke, Theodor (1910) Neue Beiträge zur semitischen Sprachwissenschaft‎ (in German), Straßburg: Karl J. Trübner, page 28