ابهم

Form: 4

Full Definition

ابهمIV , Verbal.Noun إِبْهَامٌ, It was, or became, dubious, confused, or vague, so that one knew not the way, or manner, in which it should be engaged in, done, executed, or performed; as also ; for which grammarians often use ; but this has not been heard in the [classical] language of the Arabs: [said to be] from بَهِيمٌ denoting a colour, whatever it be, except that which is termed شُهْبَة, in which is no colour differing therefrom.

def.2 He closed, or locked, a door; [or, so that one could not find the way to open it; (see مُبْهَمٌ;)] and stopped it up. [And hence,] one says of the thumb, تُبْهِمُ الكَفَّ, meaning It closes upon [the palm of] the hand, as a cover.
2 [Hence also,] He made a thing, or an affair, to be dubious, confused, or vague, so that there was no way, or manner, of knowing it, or so that one knew not the way, or manner, in which it should be engaged in, done, executed, or performed: [in the former sense, or meaning he made it to be dubious, confused, or vague,] said of speech, or language, (K in art. غمض, &c.,) and of information, or news, or a narration; contr. of أَوْضَحَ; (TA in art. غمض;) i. q. لمْ يُبَيِّنْ.
3 He made, or held, a thing to be vague, or indefinite.
4 And, said of a prohibited thing, He made it, or held it, to be not allowable in any manner, nor for any cause: or to be prohibited unconditionally. [See مُبْهَمٌ.]
5 He made a man to turn away, or withdraw, or retire, عَنْ كَذَا from such a thing, or عَنِ الأَمْرِ from the affair.

def.3 ابهمت الأَرْضُ The land produced what is termed بُهْمَى: or produced much thereof.

Lane's Lexicon + Hans Wehr + Mufradat

Three dictionaries. One search.

"The product of over thirty years of unrelenting labor — to this day supreme in the field of Arabic lexicography."

47,000+ classical entries Root-based navigation Full text search Hyperlinked definitions

Try Now

Trusted by researchers at University of Michigan, Duke, Alberta & more

Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon

Full Definition

Related Words from the Same Root

Verbs

Nouns