حَرْبٌ

Full Definition

حَرْبٌ War, battle, fight, or conflict; contr. of سِلْمٌ; consisting, first, in shooting arrows, one at another; then, in thrusting, one at another, with spears; then, in combating one another with swords; and then, in grappling and struggling together: it is [generally] fem.; but its dim. is حُرَيْبٌ , without ة, contr. to rule, like ذُرَيْعٌ, and قُوَيْسٌ, and فُرَيْسٌ in a fem. sense, because originally an Verbal.Noun [of which the verb (حَرَبَ) seems not to have been used as meaning “ he waged, or contended in, war ”], or in order that it may not be confounded with the dim. of حَرْبَةٌ: Seer makes its origin to be the epithet حَرْبٌ, which, however, is originally an Verbal.Noun: sometimes it is masc.; but this is extr.: the pl. is حُرُوبٌ. You say, وَقَعَتْ بَيْنَهُمْ حَرْبٌ [War happened between them]. And قَامَتِ الحَرْبُ عَلَى سَاقٍ The war, or battle, became vehement, so that safety from destruction was difficult of attainment. And making it masc., as meaning قِتَالٌ, you say حَرْبٌ شَدِيدٌ A vehement fight or battle. [Hence,] اِبْنُ حَرْبٍ A warrior: (Er-Rághib, TA in art. بنى:) and اِبْنُ الحَرْبِ [the warrior; or] he who suffices for war, and who defends. And دَارُ الحَرْبِ The country, or countries, of the unbelievers, or of [those called by the Muslims] the polytheists, between whom and the Muslims there is not peace. In the saying of Aboo- Haneefeh, كَانَتْ مَكَّةُ إِذْ ذٰاكَ حَرْبًا, the meaning is دَارَ حَرْبٍ [Mekkeh was at that time a place of which the people were at war with the Muslims].

def.2 It is also an epithet; originally an Verbal.Noun You say رَجُلٌ حَرْبٌ, [in the CK حَرِبٌ, but it is] like عَدْلٌ, A man vehement in war, and courageous; as also مِحْرَبٌ and مِحْرَابٌ : or مِحْرَبٌ signifies a man of wars; or a man of war, as also مِحْرَابٌ ; and a known, experienced warrior. [Being originally an Verbal.Noun,] حَرْبٌ as an epithet is used in the same form as masc. and fem. and sing. and pl.: so that one says اِمْرَأَةٌ حَرْبٌ and قَوْمٌ حَرْبٌ, as also قَوْمٌ .
2 Also An enemy, whether, or not, actually at war. So in the saying, أَنَا حَرْبٌ لِمَنْ حَارَبَنَىِ [I am an enemy to him who wars with me, or who is an enemy to me]. And فُلَانٌ حَرْبُ فُلَانٍ Such a one is the enemy of such a one. Some hold that حَرْبٌ is a pl. [or rather a quasi-pl. n.] of حَارِبٌ or مُحَارِبٌ.

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