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أَخٌ

Root: اخو

Full Definition

أَخٌ , originally أَخَوٌ, as is shown by the first of its dual forms mentioned below, and by its having a pl. like آبَآءٍ, and أَخٌّ, with the second letter doubled to compensate for the و suppressed, as is the case in أَبٌّ, and أَخًا , [like أَبًا,] and أَخُو , (IAar, K, TA, [the last, with the article prefixed to it, erroneously written in the CK الاُخُوٌّ,]) and أَخْوٌ , like دَلْوٌ, a well-known term of relationship, i. e. A brother; the son of one's father and mother, or of either of them: and also applied to a foster-brother: and a friend; and a companion, an associate, or a fellow: derived from آخِيَّةٌ [q. v.]; as though one أَخ were tied and attached to another like as the horse is tied to the آخيّة: or, accord. to some of the grammarians, it is from وَخَى meaning قَصَدَ; because the أَخ has the same aim, endeavour, or desire, as his أَخ: when أَخ is prefixed to another noun, its final vowel is prolonged: you say, هذَا أَخُوكَ [This is thy brother, &c.], and مَرَرْتُ بِأَخِيكَ [I passed by thy brother, &c.], and رَأَيْتُ أَخَاكَ [I saw thy brother, &c.] : (S: [in which it is also asserted that one does not say أَخُو without prefixing it to another noun; but this is inconsistent with the assertion of IAar and F, that الأَخُو is a syn. of الأَخُ:]) the dual is أَخَوَانِ, or أَخْوَانِ, with the خ quiescent, and some of the Arabs say أَخَانِ, and Kr mentions أَخُوَانِ, with damm to the خ, said by IB to occur in poetry, and held by ISd to be dual of أَخُو, with damm to the خ: the pl. is إِخْوَةٌ and إِخْوَانٌ, the former generally applied to brothers, and the latter to friends [or the like], but not always, as in the Kur xlix. 10, where the former does not denote relationship, and in xxiv. 60 of the same, where the latter does denote relationship, and sometimes the former is applied to a [single] man, as in the Kur iv. 12, and أُخْوَةٌ, (Fr, S, Msb, K, [in the CK اَخْوَةٌ,]) or this is a quasi-pl. n., and أُخْوَانٌ, and آخَآءٌ, like آبَآءٌ, and أُخُوٌّ, and أُخُوَّةٌ, the last mentioned by Lh, and thought by ISd to be formed from the next preceding by the addition of ة characterizing the pl. as fem., and أَخُونَ, and اخاوون. The fem. of أَخٌ is أُخْتٌ [meaning A sister: and a female friend, &c.]: written with damm to show that the letter which has gone from it is و; the ت being a substitute for the و; not to denote the fem. gender, because the letter next before it is quiescent: this is the opinion of Sb, and [accord. to SM] it is the correct opinion: for Sb says that if you were to use it as a proper name of a man, you would make it perfectly decl.; and if the ت were to denote the fem. gender, the name would not be perfectly decl.; though in one place he incidentally says that it is the sign of the fem. gender, through inadvertence: Kh, however, says that its ت is [originally] ه [meaning ة]: and Lth, that أُخْتٌ is originally أَخَةٌ: and some say that it is originally أَخْوَةٌ: the dual. is أُخْتَانِ: and the pl. is أَخَوَاتٌ. The saying لَا أَخَالَكَ بِفُلَانٍ [Thou hast no brother, or friend, in such a one] means لَيْسَ لَكَ بِأَخٍ [such a one is not a brother, or friend, to thee]. It is said in a prov., مَنْ لَكَ بِأَخِيكَ كُلِّهِ [Who will be responsible to thee for thy brother, or thy friend, altogether? i. e., for his always acting to thee as a brother, or friend]. And in another, رُبَّ أَخٍ لَكَ لَمْ تَلِدْهُ أُمُّكَ [ There is many a brother to thee whom thy mother has not brought forth]. And in another, أَخُوكَ أَمِ الذَّئْبُ [Is it thy brother, or the wolf?]; said in suspecting a thing: as also أَخُوكَ أَمِ اللَّيْلُ [Is it thy brother, or is it the night that deceives thee?]. And another saying is, الرُّمْحُ أَخُوكَ وَرُبَّمَا خَانَكَ [ The spear is thy brother, but sometimes, or often, it is unfaithful to thee].
2 Ibn-'Arafeh says that when أُخُوَّةٌ does not relate to birth, it means conformity, or similarity; and combination, agreement, or unison, in action: hence the saying, هذَا الثَّوْبُ أَخُو هذَا [ This garment, or piece of cloth, is the like, or fellow, of this] : and hence the saying in the Kur [xvii. 29], كَانُوا إِخْوَانَ الشَّيَاطِينِ They are the likes, or fellows, of the devils: and in the same [xliii. 47], إِلَّا هِىَ أَكْبَرُ مِنْ But it was greater than its like, or fellow; i. e., than what was like to it in truth &c. It is said in a trad., النَّوْمُ أَخُ المَوْتِ [Sleep is the like of death]. One says also, لَقِىَ فُلَانٌ أَخَا المَوْتِ Such a one met with the like of death. And they said, وَمَاهُ آللّٰهُ بِلَيْلَپٍ لَا لَهَا [ God afflicted him with a night having none like to it], i. e., a night in which he should die. And لَا أُكَلِّمُهُ إِلَّا أَخَا السِّرارِ I will not speak to him save the like of secret discourse. [And hence,] سُهَيْلٍ [ The two sisters of Canopus;] the two stars called الشّعْرَى العَبُورُ and الشّعْرَى الغُمَيْصَآءُ. (S and K in art. شعر, q. v.)
3 يَاَ أَخَا بَكْرٍ, or تَمِيمٍ, means O thou of [the tribe of] Bekr, or Temeem.
4 Lh mentions, on the authority of Abu-d-Deenár and Ibn-Ziyád, the saying, القُمْمُ بِأَخِى الشَّرَّ, as meaning The people, or company of men, are in an evil state or condition. [But accord. to others,] one says, تَرَكْتُهُ بِأَخِى الخَيْرِ, meaning I left him in an evil state or condition: and بِأَخِى الشَّرِّ in a good state or condition.
5 You say also, هُوَأَخُو الصَّدْقِ He is one who cleaves, or keeps, to veracity.
6 [أِخُو, as a prefixed noun, is also used in the sense of أَهْلُ, meaning Worthy, or deserving, of a thing: and meet, fit, or fitted, for it. So in the phrase أَخُو ثِقَةٍ Worthy, or deserving, of trust, or confidence; expl. by W as meaning a person in whom one trusts, or confides. And so in the prov., لَيْسَ أَخُو الكِظَاظِ مَنْ يَسْأَمُهُ He who is fit, or fitted, for vehement striving for the mastery is not he who turns away from it with disgust: see art. كظ.]
7 It is also used in the sense of ذُو: as in the phrase, هُوَأَخُو الغِنَى [ He is possessed, or a possessor, of wealth, or competence, or sufficiency]. [So too in the phrase, أَخُو الخَيْرِ Possessed, or a possessor, of good, or of what is good. And in like manner,] أَخُو الخَنَعِ means [ذُو الخَنَعِ, i. e. ذُو الذِّلَّةِ, i. e.] الّذَّلِيلُ [ The low, base, or abject]. [So too] سَيْرُنَا أَخُو الجِيْدِ means [سَيْرُنَا ذُوالجَيْدِ, i. e.] سَيْرُنَا جَاهِدٌ [ Our journeying is laborious: see an ex. in the first paragraph of art. غدر].
8 حُمَّى الأَخَوَيْنِ A fever that affects the patient two days, and quits him two days; or that attacks on Saturday, and quits for three days, and comes [again] on Thursday; and so on.
9 دَمُ الأَخَوَيْنِ: see دَمٌ, in art. دمى.


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