بُرْجٌ

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بُرْجٌ [Gr. πύργος, A tower;] an angle, syn. رُكْن, of a fortress, or of a city: and sometimes a fortress itself: so called from its conspicuousness and construction and height: or the primary signification of برج is strength; whence أَبْرَجُ in a sense explained below: pl. [of mult.] بُرُوجٌ and [of pauc.] أَبْرَاجٌ: the بُرُوجٌ of the wall of a city or fortress are chambers (بُيُوت [meaning towers]) built upon the wall: and such chambers (بيوت) built upon the sides of the angles of a قَصْر [i. e. pavilion or palace &c.] are sometimes thus called. [Hence,] بُرْجُ حَمَامٍ [A pigeon-turret; a pigeon-house; being generally constructed in the form of a turret, or of a sugar-loaf;] a lodging-place of pigeons: pl. as above.
2 Also [A sign of the Zodiac;] one of the بُرُوج of the heaven; which are twelve in number; every one having a distinct name: the Arabs in ancient times did not know them: pl. أَبْرَاجٌ as well as بُرُوجٌ: these are meant by the بُرُوج mentioned in the Kur xv. 16 and xxv. 62 and lxxxv. 1: or in the last of these instances, by the بروج in the heaven are meant the Mansions of the Moon: or the stars or asterisms or constellations: or the great stars or asterisms or constellations; and so, accord. to Zj, in the second of the said passages of the Kur: or the gates of heaven: or, as some say, i. q. قُصُور [i. e. pavilions &c.].

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