إِلْفclose companions

Example sentences

• وفرق بين الإلفين وكم باتا،

  And He separated between the two close companions, though they stayed together for long,

  الإِلْفَيْنِ — the two close companions. This is the dual form, 'the two close companions', in the genitive because 'between' governs it; the dual ending folds 'exactly two' into the noun where English needs a separate 'two'. So the word carries both the count of two and the case at once, naming the pair that was parted.

  From: Death and Decree →