קָלַל (b. h.) [to swing] to be light, slender, unimportant.—Part. קַל. Snh. VI, 5 (ref. to קללת, Deut. XXI, 23) בזמן … קַלַּנִי מראשי וכ׳ when man suffers punishment, what does the Shekhinah say? ‘I am lighter than my head, than my arm’ (euphem. for, I feel my head heavy &c.); Y. ib. 23ᵈ bot. אנן תנינן קַלֵּינִי (= קל איני) we read ḳalleni, I am not lighter; אית תניי תני קל אני some Tannai reads ḳal ăni; מאן דאמר קליני לית הוא אלא קליל according to him that reads ḳalleni, it is a euphemistic expression for ‘light’ (i.e. my head is light, I feel giddy; my arm is light, I feel weak); מאן דאמר קלני … נטיל according to the version ḳallani, it is a euphemistic expression for ‘heavy’ (i.e. my head, my arm is heavy); Bab. ib. 46ᵇ Abbayi says כמאן דאמר קל לית (read ḳalleni) as one says, ‘light (I am) not’ (i.e. I feel heavy, without euphemism)—(which is refuted by Raba, who explains the word in question) קליל לי עלמא, v. קַלִּיל II.
    Hif. - הֵיקַל, הֵקַל, , הֵקיל I) to lighten. M. Kat. 17ᵇ הכביד … מֵיקַל וכ׳ if the mourner’s hair is too heavy, he may make it lighter with a razor; Y. ib. III, 82ᵃ top. Erub. IV, 9 להָקֵל על העשיר to make it easy for the rich man; a. fr.—Trnsf. ה׳ ראשו to be irreverent, talk frivolously (v. קַלּוּת). Ber. IX, 5 לא יָקֵל אדם את ראשו כנגד וכ׳ man (a pilgrim coming to Jerusalem) must not behave irreverently in sight of the eastern gate &c. Yalk. Gen. 24 מֵיקֶלֶת ראשה she is frivolous (light-minded); Yalk. Is. 265 מֵקֶילֶת ראש; (Gen. R. s. 18 מיקרת, v. יָקַר).—2) to be lenient; to incline towards the less restrictive practice, opp. החמיר, v. חָמַר I. Y. M. Kat. l. c. הלכה כדברי מי שהוא מיקל the adopted practice follows the opinion of him who is more lenient; Erub. 46ᵃ, a. fr. כדברי המיקל וכ׳. Yeb. 88ᵃ הֵיקַלְתָּ עליה, v. חָמַר I. Pes. 52ᵇ, v. מַגִּיד. Erub. l. c. wherever you find יחיד מיקל ורבים וכ׳ an individual scholar favoring the more lenient practice against several in favor of restriction. Sabb. 129ᵃ, a. fr. ספק נפשות להָקל where there is a doubt involving the endangering of human life, the more lenient rule is applied; a. fr.—3) to be sparing, beggarly. Ib. כל המיקל … מְקִילִין לו מזוניתיו וכ׳ he that stints himself at the meal taken after blood-letting, to him they in heaven will give his sustenance stintingly; a. e.
    Pi. - קִלֵּל [to diminish,] to curse. Keth. VII, 6 מְקַלֶּלֶת, v. יִוֹלֵד. Sabb. 62ᵇ שאשתו מְקַלַּלְתּוֹ בפניו whom his wife curses in his presence. Pes. 87ᵇ (ref. to Prov. XXX, 10 sq.) אפו׳ דור שאביו יְקַלֵּל וכ׳ even if it be a generation of men that curse their father …, do not denounce &c. Yoma 75ᵃ ק׳ את הנחש וכ׳ God cursed the serpent, yet it climbs up the roof and finds its food. Sot. 11ᵃ (expl. ועלה, Ex. I, 10, as euphem. for ועלינו) כאדם שמְקַלֵּל את עצמו וכ׳ like a man that wants to curse himself (express an ill omen about himself), and hangs his curse on others. B. Bath. 88ᵇ הקב"ה בירך … וקִלְּלָן וכ׳ the Lord blessed Israel with the twenty-two letters of the alphabet (from א of אם, Lev. XXVI, 3, to ת of קוממיות, ib. 13), and cursed them with eight letters (from ו of ואם, ib. 14, to ם of נפשם, ib. 43). Snh. 70ᵃ מתוך שקלקלו … קִלְּלוֹ ברביעי because Ham injured him by (preventing his begetting) a fourth son, he (Noah) cursed him by his fourth son (Canaan). Ib. 91ᵇ כל המונע … שבמעי אמן מְקַלְּלִין אותו (not אמו) he that withholds a tradition from his pupil, even the embryos in their mother’s womb will curse him; Yalk. Prov. 947; a. fr.
    Nithpa. - נִתְקַלֵּל to be cursed. Ber. 61ᵃ בתחלה נ׳ … נִתְקַלְּלָה וכ׳ the serpent was cursed first, and then Eve &c.; Gen. R. s. 20; Erub. 18ᵃ. Ib. 18ᵇ נתקללה בבל נִתְקַלְּלוּ וכ׳ when Babylon was cursed, her neighbors were cursed. Bekh. 8ᵃ אם מבהמה נתקללה וכ׳ if she (Eve) was cursed (with prolonged pregnancy) more than cattle &c. Ib. נ׳ הוא … אחת לשבע it (the serpent) was cursed seven times more than certain cattle. Ib. נ׳ הוא מחיה (not נתקלקל); a. fr.—[Tosef. Sot. II, 3 ניקללה ניוולה, Var. ניקל, read: ניקתה בניוולה, v. נָקָה Nif.]