dwindle, decline, decrease

, [aor. ,] (S, M, O, Msb, K,) inf. n. ضَآلَةٌ (S, M, O, Msb) and ضُوأُولَةٌ; (Msb;) and ↓ تَضَآءَلَ; (M, Msb, K;) He, or it, [accord. to the S and O app. said of a man or of a man's body, and accord. to the Msb said of a thing,] was, or became, small in body, or small, and lean: (S, O, Msb:) or small, slender, or thin, and despicable, abject, or ignominious: and also [simply] lean, or spare: (M, K:) and in like manner ↓ اِضْطَأَلَ: (M:) [or lean, or spare, and weak: or weak, small, and slender, or thin: (see the part. n., ضَيأِيلٌ:)] or ضُوأُولَةٌ signifies the being lean, or emaciated; and base, abject, or despicable. (TA.) Accord. to AZ, (S, O, TA,) ضَوأُلَ, said of a man, (TA,) or ضَوأُلَ رَأْيُهُ, (S, O;) signifies He was, or became, small, or little, [in estimation,] and weak in judgment. (S, O, TA.)

, (M, TA,) [in the O, and in copies of the K, ضَأَلَ, but the former is the right,] He made his person small, (M, O, * K, TA,) in order that he might not appear. (TA.) Zuheyr says, " فَبَيْنَا نَذُودُ الوَحْشَ جَآءَ غُلَامُنَا يَدِبُّ وَيُخْفِى شَخْصَهُ وَيُضَايأِلُهْ " [And while we were driving the wild animals, our young man came, creeping, and hiding his person, and making it small]. (M, TA.)

: see 1. In a verse of Aboo-Khirásh, تَضَالَ لَهَا جِسْمِى [meaning My body became lean, or spare, by reason of it,] occurs for تَضَآءَلَ: or, as AA relates it, he said تَضَأءَل لَّهَا, with idghám. (M.) ― -b2- Also He became small, or thin; he shrank, or became contracted; (O, * TA, and Ham * pp. 653 and 658;) by reason of abasement, (TA,) or from fear: (Ham p. 658:) he hid his person, sitting, and shrank, or became contracted. (M, K, TA.) And It (a thing) shrank, became contracted, or drew itself together. (TA.) AHn has used it [in this sense] in relation to a herb, or leguminous plant. (M, TA.)

: see 1.

, (S, O, TA,) like تُوَدَةٌ, (O, TA,) in the copies of the K ضُوأْلَة, but the former is the right, (TA,) an epithet applied to a man, (S, O,) Lean, or spare: (S:) or weak, (K, TA,) lean, or spare, and despicable, abject, or ignominious. (TA.) [See also ضَيأِيلٌ.]

, (M, K, TA,) with damm, (TA,) [in the CK, erroneously, ضَوَلانٌ,] He, or it, is a burden upon him; syn. كَلٌّ. (M, K, TA.) ― -b2- And حَسَبُهُ عَلَيْهِ ضُوأْلَانٌ His grounds of pretension to respect, or honour, are a cause of reproach to him. (M, TA.)

(also pronounced [by some] ضِيأِيلٌ, like شِعِيرٌ [for شَعِيرٌ, q. v.], Ham p. 129) Small in body, and lean; (Msb;) or so ضَيأِيلُ الجِسْمِ, applied to a man: (S, O:) or small, slender, or thin, and despicable, abject, or ignominious: and also [simply] lean, or spare: and so ↓ مُضْطَيأِلٌ, (M, K,) in both senses: (K:) or lean, or spare, and weak: (TA:) or weak, small, and slender, or thin: (Lth, TA:) and ↓ مُتَضَايأِلٌ [likewise] signifies thin, or slender; applied to a man; syn. شَخْتٌ: (S, O, TA:) the pl. of ضَيأِيلٌ is ضُوأَلَآءُ and ضِيأَالٌ (M, K, TA) and ضَيأِيلُونَ: (TA:) and the fem. is ضَيأِيلَةٌ. (M, TA.)

fem. of ضَيأِيلٌ. (M, TA.) ― -b2- Also [as a subst.] A slender serpent: (S, O, K:) or a serpent resembling the viper. (M.) ― -b3- And The لَهَاة [or uvula]. (Th, M, K.)

: see ضَيأِيلٌ.

: see ضَيأِيلٌ. ― -b2- It is also applied as an epithet to the weaving of a coat of mail [app. as signifying Delicate, or fine; or small, or contracted, in the rings]. (TA.)