Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon

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قَهْقَرَى

Root: قهقر

Full Definition

قَهْقَرَى A returning backwards; a retiring, going backwards, without turning the face towards the direction in which one goes: the dual is قَهْقَرَانِ; like as the dual of خَوْزَلَى is خَوْزَلَانِ; without ى, because this letter is deemed difficult to pronounce with the ا and the ى of the dual. When you say رَجَعْتُ القَهْقَرَى [I returned backwards; &c.], it is as though you said I returned with the returning which is known by this name; for القهقرى is a mode of returning.
2 مَشَى القَهْقَرَى He reverted from the state in which he was, or from the course which he was following; revolted; apostatized.
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