سَرْعَانَ
Root: سرع
Full Definition
سَرْعَانَ
and سُرْعَانَ and سِرْعَانَ and
سَرُعَانَ , the last with damm to the ر occurring in the phrase سرعانَ ذَا خُرُوجًا, meaning سَرُعَ ذَا خُرُوجًا [Quick is this in coming forth: or how quick is this in coming forth! or, which is nearly the same, excellently quick &c.], are dial. vars., changed from the original form, which is سَرُعَ, and, for this reason, made indecl., with the final vowel of سَرُعَ for their termination. The word سرعان is used as a simple enunciative [placed before its inchoative], and also as an enunciative denoting wonder: [see بُطْآنَ:] and hence the saying, لَسَرْعَانَ مَا
صَنَعْتَ كَذَا
How quick was thy doing that! The saying سَرَعَانَ ذَا إِهَالَةٌ originated from the fact that a man had a lean ewe, her snivel running from her nostrils by reason of her leanness, and it being said to him “ What is this? ” he answered, “ Her grease: ” whereupon the asker said as above: the last word is in the accus. case as a denotative of state; and the meaning is, Quick, or how quick, is this snivel [coming forth] in the state of melted grease! or the last word is a specificative, under the supposition that the action is transferred [from its proper agent, which thus becomes a specificative], as in the phrase تَصَبَّبَ زَيْدٌ عَرَقًا; and the meaning to be understood is, Quick, or how quick, is the melted grease of this! the saying is applied to him who tells of a thing's coming to pass before its time: it is a prov.
def.2 سَرْعَانُ; and its fem., سَرْعَى: see سَرِيعٌ, in two places: see also the paragraph here next following, in two places,
def.2 سَرْعَانُ; and its fem., سَرْعَى: see سَرِيعٌ, in two places: see also the paragraph here next following, in two places,
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