أَىْ
Root: اى
Full Definition
أَىْ
a vocative particle, addressed to the near, not to the distant: or to the near, or the distant, or the intermediate; accord. to different authorities. You say, أَىْ زَيْدُ أَقْبِلْ [O Zeyd, advance: or, if it may be used in addressing one who is distant, ho there, soho, or holla: and if used in addressing one who is between near and distant, ho, or what ho]: and أَىْ رَبِّ [O my Lord]; occurring in a trad.: and sometimes it is pronounced
آىْ .
def.2 Also an explicative particle. You say, أَىْ كَذَا in the sense of يُرِيدُ كَذَا [He means such a thing, or يَعْنِى كَذَا, which has the same signification; or أُرِيدُ, or أَعْنِى, I mean; or the like; for all of which, we may say, meaning; or that is]; as in عِنْدِى عَسْجِدٌ أَىْ ذَهَبٌ [I have عَسْجَد, that is, ذَهَبَ, or gold]. What follows it is an adjunct explicative of what precedes it, or a substitute. AA says that he asked Mbr respecting what follows it, and he answered that it may be a substitute for what precedes, and may be a word independent of what precedes it, and may be a noun in the accus. case: and that he asked Th, and he answered that it may be an explicative, or a word independent of what precedes it, or a noun governed in the accus. case by a verb suppressed: you say, جَآءَنِى أَخُوكَ أَىْ زَيْدٌ [Thy brother came to me; that is, Zeyd]; and you may say, أَىْ زَيْدًا [I mean Zeyd]: and رَأَيْتُ أَخَاكَ أَىْ زَيْدًا [I saw thy brother; I mean, or that is, Zeyd]; and you may say, أَىْ زَيْدٌ [that is, Zeyd]: and مَرَرْتُ بِأَخِيكَ أَىْ زَيْدٍ [I passed by thy brother; that is, by Zeyd]; and you may say, أَىْ زَيدًا [I mean, Zeyd]; and أَىْ زَيْدٌ [that is, Zeyd]. When it occurs after تَقُولُ, in a case like the following, [i. e., when a verb following it explains a verb preceding it,] one says, تَقُولُ اِسْتَكْتَمْتُهُ الحَدِيثَ أَىْ سَأَلْتُهُ كِتْمَانَهُ [Thou sayest, استكتمته الحديث, meaning سألته كتمانه I asked of him the concealment of it, namely, the discourse, or story; and so when تَقُولُ is understood, as is often, or generally, the case in lexicons]; with damm to the ت: but if you put إِذَا in the place of أَىْ, you say, إِذَا سَأَلْتَهُ, with fet-h, because أَذا is an adverbial noun relating to تَقُولُ.
def.3 See also أَىٌّ, near the beginning of the paragraph, in three places.
def.2 Also an explicative particle. You say, أَىْ كَذَا in the sense of يُرِيدُ كَذَا [He means such a thing, or يَعْنِى كَذَا, which has the same signification; or أُرِيدُ, or أَعْنِى, I mean; or the like; for all of which, we may say, meaning; or that is]; as in عِنْدِى عَسْجِدٌ أَىْ ذَهَبٌ [I have عَسْجَد, that is, ذَهَبَ, or gold]. What follows it is an adjunct explicative of what precedes it, or a substitute. AA says that he asked Mbr respecting what follows it, and he answered that it may be a substitute for what precedes, and may be a word independent of what precedes it, and may be a noun in the accus. case: and that he asked Th, and he answered that it may be an explicative, or a word independent of what precedes it, or a noun governed in the accus. case by a verb suppressed: you say, جَآءَنِى أَخُوكَ أَىْ زَيْدٌ [Thy brother came to me; that is, Zeyd]; and you may say, أَىْ زَيْدًا [I mean Zeyd]: and رَأَيْتُ أَخَاكَ أَىْ زَيْدًا [I saw thy brother; I mean, or that is, Zeyd]; and you may say, أَىْ زَيْدٌ [that is, Zeyd]: and مَرَرْتُ بِأَخِيكَ أَىْ زَيْدٍ [I passed by thy brother; that is, by Zeyd]; and you may say, أَىْ زَيدًا [I mean, Zeyd]; and أَىْ زَيْدٌ [that is, Zeyd]. When it occurs after تَقُولُ, in a case like the following, [i. e., when a verb following it explains a verb preceding it,] one says, تَقُولُ اِسْتَكْتَمْتُهُ الحَدِيثَ أَىْ سَأَلْتُهُ كِتْمَانَهُ [Thou sayest, استكتمته الحديث, meaning سألته كتمانه I asked of him the concealment of it, namely, the discourse, or story; and so when تَقُولُ is understood, as is often, or generally, the case in lexicons]; with damm to the ت: but if you put إِذَا in the place of أَىْ, you say, إِذَا سَأَلْتَهُ, with fet-h, because أَذا is an adverbial noun relating to تَقُولُ.
def.3 See also أَىٌّ, near the beginning of the paragraph, in three places.
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