عَاثُورٌ

Full Definition

عَاثُورٌ A pit dug for a lion or other [animal], that he may fall into it, in order that he may be taken: this is the primary signification: or a thing that is prepared for one to fall into it: or, as also عثار [i. e. عَثَارٌ or عِثَارٌ ], a thing by which one is made to stumble and fall; expl. by مَا بِهِ: the pl. is عَوَاثِيرُ; whence, perhaps, عَوَاثِرُ, by suppression of the ى. (O, TA. [See عَاثرٌ.])
2 [Hence,] A place of perdition: (TA voce حَاجُورٌ:) or a cause, or place, of perdition or of death: applied to a land. You say, وَقَعَ فِى عَاثُورٍ He fell into a cause, or place, of perdition or of death. And فُلَانٌ يَقِى صَاحِبَهُ العَوَاثِرَ [Such a one preserves his companion from the causes, or places, of perdition or of death]. And it is said in a trad., إِنَّ قُرَيْشًا أَهْلُ أَمَانَةٍ مَنْ بَغَاهَا العَوَاثِيرَ كَبَّهُ ٱللّٰهُ لِمَنْخِرَيْهِ [Verily the tribe of Kureysh are people of fidelity: whoso seeks for them the causes, or places, of perdition or of death, may God lay him prostrate upon his nostrils]: or, accord. to one relation, عَوَاثِرَ.
3 And [hence,] Difficulty, or distress; as also عَاثُورُ شَرٍّ: and evil; like عَاذُورٌ, which is a dial. var. thereof, or an instance of mispronunciation; (S and O in art. عذر;) as also عَثَارٌ , or عِثَارٌ : and شَرٍّ is said by Fr to signify the same as عَاثُورُ شَرٍّ. You say, لَقِيتُ مِنْهُ عَاثُورًا, and , I experienced from him, or it, difficulty, or distress. And وَقَعُوا فِى عَاثُورِ شَرٍّ, and عَافُورِ شَرٍّ, They fell into difficulty, or distress: or into a confusion of evil and difficulty or distress. It is the opinion of Yaakoob that the ف in عَافُور is a substitute for the ث in عَاثُور: but Az observes that this is not necessarily the case, as the meaning of difficulty is implied in the root عفر.
4 It is said to signify also A kind of snare (مِصْيَدَة) made of bark.
5 And A channel that is dug for the purpose of irrigating thereby a palm-tree such as is termed بَعْلٌ.
6 And A well.

def.2 And it may also be used as an epithet [app. meaning Perilous, or destructive].

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