Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon

عَنْوَةٌ

Root: عنو

Full Definition

عَنْوَةٌ Force, or constraint: or the taking by force; as Verbal.Noun of عَنَا [q. v.]. One says, فُتِحَتْ مَكَّةُ عَنْوَةً Mekkeh was taken forcibly, or by force. And أَخَذَهُ عَنْوَةً He took it by force. And فُتِحَتْ هٰذِهِ المَدِينَةُ عَنْوَةً i. e. [This city was taken] by means of conflict; its occupants having been combated until they had it taken from them by superior power or force, and were powerless to keep it, so they left it without there having occurred between them and the Muslims [or invaders] a treaty of peace.
2 Also Love, or affection: or submission, and concession: or a consequence of submission and concession, on the part of him from whom a thing is taken: or the taking peaceably, or by surrender; as Verbal.Noun of عَنَا [q. v.]: thus it has two contr. significations. A poet says, فَمَا أَخَذُوهَا عَنْوَةً عَنْ مَوَدَّةٍ وَلٰكِنَّ ضَرْبَ المَشْرَفِىِّ ٱسْتَقَالَهَا which is said to mean, [And they did not take it, or her, or them,] by concession, and obedience, [arising from love, or affection,] without fighting: [but the smiting of the Mesh-rafee sword demanded the renouncing thereof:] 'Abd-El-Kádir Ibn-'Amr El-Baghdádee asserts the meaning of عَنْوَةٌ to be submission and concession; adducing as evidence thereof this verse; attributing the contr. meaning to the vulgar: both, however, are correct; and that first mentioned occurs repeatedly in traditions: but the most learned Yákoot Er-Roomee, in his Moajam, says that the verse above-cited may be rendered as meaning and they did not take it, or her, or them, by superior power attended by [or in consequence of] love, or affection: but they did so by fighting: and that this may be regarded as indicated by the poet's saying اخذوها; for otherwise he would have said, فَمَا سَلَّمُوهَا: and he says, it is a matter of common consent that عَنْوَةٌ signifies force, and superior power.
3 It is also a subst. from عَنَا in the first of senses mentioned in this art.: [i. e. it signifies Lowliness, humility, or submissiveness:] [and] so is عَنَآءٌ : see 1, first sentence.
4 And it is also a subst. from عَنَا as meaning “ he became a captive: ” [i. e. it signifies also A state of captivity:] see, again, 1.

def.2 And it is also a subst. from عَنَا in two other senses, as stated above: [i. e. it app. signifies also The act of putting forth, or producing, a thing: and of making it apparent, or showing, it:] see, again, 1.


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