Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon

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استرعى

Root: رعى

Form: 10

Full Definition

استرعىX [app. signifies He desired cattle to pasture: and hence, he left them to pasture alone]. You say, اِسْتَرْعَيْتُ مَالِىَ القَمَرَ, meaning I left my cattle to pasture without a pastor to take care of them in the night: and [in like manner,] استرعيتهُ الشَّمْسَ, in the day. (TA in art. قمر.)
2 اِسْتَرْعَيْتُهُ الشَّىْءَ I asked him, or desired him, to keep or guard, or be mindful of or regardful of, the thing. Hence the prov., مَنِ ٱسْتَرْعَى الذِّئْبَ فَقَدْ ظَلَمَ [He who asks, or desires, the wolf to keep guard does wrong]; i. e. he who trusts in one who is treacherous puts trust in a wrong place. [And hence also,] اِسْتَرْعَى الأَسْمَاعَ لِخُطْبَتِهِ He asked, or desired, the ears [meaning the hearers] to mind his discourse, or oration.
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