عَيْرٌ
Root: عير
Full Definition
عَيْرٌ
The ass; both the wild and the domestic; its predominant application is to the former: so called because he goes away hither and thither (يَعِيرُ
فَيَتَرَدَّدُ) in the desert: fem. with ة: pl. [of pauc.] أَعْيَارٌ, and [of mult.] عِيَارٌ and عُيُورٌ and عُيُورَةٌ and عِيَرَةٌ and
, like مَشْيُوخَآءُ &c., or this is [properly speaking] a quasi-pl. n., and
مَعْيُورَى , [also a quasipl. n.,] and pl. pl. عِيَرَاتٌ and عِيَارَاتٌ. [Dim. عُيَيْرٌ, q. v. intra.]
2 It is said in a prov., relating to contentment with that which is present and forgetting what is absent, إِنْ ذَهَبَ العَيْرُ فَعَيْرٌ فِى الرِّبَاطِ [If the ass has gone away, there is an ass in the tether].
3 You say also, of a place in which is no good, هُوَ كَجَوْفِ عَيْرٍ [It is like the belly of an ass], or كجوف العَيْرِ [like the belly of the ass]; because there is nothing in his belly of which any use is made: or this originated from the saying هُوَ أَخْلَى مِنْ جَوْفِ حِمَارٍ [It is more empty than the valley of Himar]; for حمار was the name of a certain unbeliever, who possessed a valley, which for his infidelity, God rendered waste and unproductive; and Imra-el-Keys, as some say, but correctly Taäbbata-sharrà, quoting the above-mentioned saying, has substituted العير for حمار, for the sake of the metre.
4 One says also أَذَلُّ مِنَ العَيْرِ More vile than the ass. [But this is doubtful: see the same phrase expl. differently later in this paragraph. The wild ass is superior to every other kind of animal that is an object of the chase: (see فَرَأٌ:) and hence, app., the signification here next following.]
5 عَيْرٌ also signifies A lord, or chief, of a people: a king: pl. أَعْيَارٌ.
6 The saying of the people of Syria, used by them proverbially, عَيْرٌ بِعَيْرٍ وَزِيَادَةُ عَشَرَةٍ [A lord for a lord, or a lord is succeeded by a lord, and an increase of ten] is expl. by the fact that, when the Khaleefeh of the sons of Umeiyeh died, and another arose, he increased their stipends by ten dirhems: so they said thus on that occasion.
7 عَيْرُ السَّرَاةِ is an appellation of A certain bird, resembling the pigeon, short in the legs, which are coved with feathers, yellow in the legs and bill, having the eye bordered with black, of a clear colour inclining to greenness, or dark dust-colour, (خُضْرَة,) yellow in the belly and the part beneath its wings and the inner part of its tail; as though it were a variegated بُرْد: pl. عُيُورُ السَّرَاةِ: السَّرَاةُ being a place in the district of Et-Táïf: they assert that this bird eats three hundred figs, from the time of their coming forth from among the leaves, small; and in like manner, grapes.
def.2 Also The prominence, or ridge, in the middle of the iron head
2 The prominent line, like a little wall, in the middle of a leaf; its middle rib.
3 The spine, i. e. the prominent part, in the middle of the scapula, or shoulderblade.
4 The prominent, or projecting, bone in the middle of the hand: pl. أَعْيَارٌ. [In the K, it is expl. simply by العَظْمُ النَّاتِئُ وَسَطَهَا: but this is a wrong reading, app. occasioned by an omission, which is supplied in the TA, though somewhat awkwardly: it seems that we should read وَمِنَ الكَفِّ العَظْمُ النَّتِئُ وَسَطَهَا; or, more probably, ومن الكَتِفِ الخ; for I incline to think that الكفّ in the TA is a mistake for الكتف, and that the last signification of عير, given here, is doubtful.]
5 The prominence, or protuberance, in the upper, or convex, part, or back, of the foot.
6 Any prominent, or protuberant, bone in the body.
7 An edge, or a ridge, of a rock, naturally prominent.
8 Anything prominent, or protuberant, in an even thing, or in the middle of an even thing [or surface].
9 Each of the two portions of flesh and sinew next the back bone, one on either side thereof: both together are called عَيْرَانِ. [So called because it forms a kind of ridge.]
10 The prominent, or protuberant, part at the pupil (بُؤْبُؤ) of the eye: or the lid of the eye: or the inner angle [for مَأٰقِى, in the CK, I read مَأْقَى, as in other copies of the K,] of the eye: or the image that is seen in the black of the eye when a thing faces it; also called لُعْبَةٌ: or the eye-ball: or a looking from the outer angle (لَحْظ [or perhaps this signifies here the outer angle itself]) of the eye. Hence the saying, فَعَلْتُ ذَاكَ قَبْلَ عَيْرٍ وَمَا جَرَى I did that before a look from the outer angle of the eye: or before he winked [or could wink]; عير meaning the “ image that is seen in the black of the eye; ” and ما جرى, “ what moved, ” i. e., “ the eye itself: ” or before I looked [or could look] at thee; not used with a negative: nor do you say أَفْعَلُ ذاك [instead of فعلت ذاك in this phrase]: or عير here signifies the wild ass. You say also أَتَيْتُكَ قَبْلَ عَيْرٍ وَمَا جَرَى, meaning I came to thee before a sleeper awoke [or could awake].
11 The وَتِد [or tragus] which is in the inner part of the ear: [see وَتِدٌ:] or the part of the interior of the ear which is below the فَرْع [or upper portion thereof], in a man and in a horse, like the عَيْر [of the head] of an arrow: or the عَيْرَانِ are the مَتْنَانِ [app. meaning the two backs, though the word may have some other application in this case,] of the two ears of a horse: pl. عِيَارٌ.
def.3 A wooden pin, peg, or stake, which is fixed in the ground or in a wall. Hence, as some say, the prov. فُلَانٌ أَذَلُّ مِنَ العَيْرِ [Such a one is more vile than the wooden pin, or peg, of a tent &c.]. [See another explanation above: and see also مَذَلَّةٌ.] Hence also, accord. to some, one says, مَا أَدْرِى أَىُّ مَنْ ضَرَبَ العَيْرَ هُوَ, meaning I known not what one of mankind is he. And hence too, as some say, the saying of El-Hárith Ibn-Hillizeh,
def.4 Also A certain piece of wood which is in the fore part of the [vehicle called] هَوْدَج.
def.5 And A drum. And so, as some say, in the verse cited above.
def.6 And A mountain. And also the name of A mountain of El-Medeeneh: and, as some say, of a mountain of Mekkeh.
def.7 And الأَعْيَارُ (of which the sing. is العَيْرُ, TA) is a name of Certain bright stars in the track of the feet of سُهَيْل [or Canopus].
2 It is said in a prov., relating to contentment with that which is present and forgetting what is absent, إِنْ ذَهَبَ العَيْرُ فَعَيْرٌ فِى الرِّبَاطِ [If the ass has gone away, there is an ass in the tether].
3 You say also, of a place in which is no good, هُوَ كَجَوْفِ عَيْرٍ [It is like the belly of an ass], or كجوف العَيْرِ [like the belly of the ass]; because there is nothing in his belly of which any use is made: or this originated from the saying هُوَ أَخْلَى مِنْ جَوْفِ حِمَارٍ [It is more empty than the valley of Himar]; for حمار was the name of a certain unbeliever, who possessed a valley, which for his infidelity, God rendered waste and unproductive; and Imra-el-Keys, as some say, but correctly Taäbbata-sharrà, quoting the above-mentioned saying, has substituted العير for حمار, for the sake of the metre.
4 One says also أَذَلُّ مِنَ العَيْرِ More vile than the ass. [But this is doubtful: see the same phrase expl. differently later in this paragraph. The wild ass is superior to every other kind of animal that is an object of the chase: (see فَرَأٌ:) and hence, app., the signification here next following.]
5 عَيْرٌ also signifies A lord, or chief, of a people: a king: pl. أَعْيَارٌ.
6 The saying of the people of Syria, used by them proverbially, عَيْرٌ بِعَيْرٍ وَزِيَادَةُ عَشَرَةٍ [A lord for a lord, or a lord is succeeded by a lord, and an increase of ten] is expl. by the fact that, when the Khaleefeh of the sons of Umeiyeh died, and another arose, he increased their stipends by ten dirhems: so they said thus on that occasion.
7 عَيْرُ السَّرَاةِ is an appellation of A certain bird, resembling the pigeon, short in the legs, which are coved with feathers, yellow in the legs and bill, having the eye bordered with black, of a clear colour inclining to greenness, or dark dust-colour, (خُضْرَة,) yellow in the belly and the part beneath its wings and the inner part of its tail; as though it were a variegated بُرْد: pl. عُيُورُ السَّرَاةِ: السَّرَاةُ being a place in the district of Et-Táïf: they assert that this bird eats three hundred figs, from the time of their coming forth from among the leaves, small; and in like manner, grapes.
def.2 Also The prominence, or ridge, in the middle of the iron head
2 The prominent line, like a little wall, in the middle of a leaf; its middle rib.
3 The spine, i. e. the prominent part, in the middle of the scapula, or shoulderblade.
4 The prominent, or projecting, bone in the middle of the hand: pl. أَعْيَارٌ. [In the K, it is expl. simply by العَظْمُ النَّاتِئُ وَسَطَهَا: but this is a wrong reading, app. occasioned by an omission, which is supplied in the TA, though somewhat awkwardly: it seems that we should read وَمِنَ الكَفِّ العَظْمُ النَّتِئُ وَسَطَهَا; or, more probably, ومن الكَتِفِ الخ; for I incline to think that الكفّ in the TA is a mistake for الكتف, and that the last signification of عير, given here, is doubtful.]
5 The prominence, or protuberance, in the upper, or convex, part, or back, of the foot.
6 Any prominent, or protuberant, bone in the body.
7 An edge, or a ridge, of a rock, naturally prominent.
8 Anything prominent, or protuberant, in an even thing, or in the middle of an even thing [or surface].
9 Each of the two portions of flesh and sinew next the back bone, one on either side thereof: both together are called عَيْرَانِ. [So called because it forms a kind of ridge.]
10 The prominent, or protuberant, part at the pupil (بُؤْبُؤ) of the eye: or the lid of the eye: or the inner angle [for مَأٰقِى, in the CK, I read مَأْقَى, as in other copies of the K,] of the eye: or the image that is seen in the black of the eye when a thing faces it; also called لُعْبَةٌ: or the eye-ball: or a looking from the outer angle (لَحْظ [or perhaps this signifies here the outer angle itself]) of the eye. Hence the saying, فَعَلْتُ ذَاكَ قَبْلَ عَيْرٍ وَمَا جَرَى I did that before a look from the outer angle of the eye: or before he winked [or could wink]; عير meaning the “ image that is seen in the black of the eye; ” and ما جرى, “ what moved, ” i. e., “ the eye itself: ” or before I looked [or could look] at thee; not used with a negative: nor do you say أَفْعَلُ ذاك [instead of فعلت ذاك in this phrase]: or عير here signifies the wild ass. You say also أَتَيْتُكَ قَبْلَ عَيْرٍ وَمَا جَرَى, meaning I came to thee before a sleeper awoke [or could awake].
11 The وَتِد [or tragus] which is in the inner part of the ear: [see وَتِدٌ:] or the part of the interior of the ear which is below the فَرْع [or upper portion thereof], in a man and in a horse, like the عَيْر [of the head] of an arrow: or the عَيْرَانِ are the مَتْنَانِ [app. meaning the two backs, though the word may have some other application in this case,] of the two ears of a horse: pl. عِيَارٌ.
def.3 A wooden pin, peg, or stake, which is fixed in the ground or in a wall. Hence, as some say, the prov. فُلَانٌ أَذَلُّ مِنَ العَيْرِ [Such a one is more vile than the wooden pin, or peg, of a tent &c.]. [See another explanation above: and see also مَذَلَّةٌ.] Hence also, accord. to some, one says, مَا أَدْرِى أَىُّ مَنْ ضَرَبَ العَيْرَ هُوَ, meaning I known not what one of mankind is he. And hence too, as some say, the saying of El-Hárith Ibn-Hillizeh,
of which Aboo-'Amr Ibn-El-'Alà said that he had passed away, or died, who knew the meaning of this verse, and which is differently related, some saying مَوَالٍ لَهَا, and some saying الوِلَآءُ: but various meanings are assigned to العير in this instance; and some expl. it as a proper name: and some, relating this verse, say العِيرَ [q. v.]: [the following explanation of the verse has been given as preferable to others:] They have asserted that all who have hunted the wild ass are the sons of our paternal uncles, and that we are the relations of them; الولآء being for أَصْحَابُ وَلَائِهِمْ: meaning that we are responsible for their crimes, or offences, as though we were their heirs.زَعَمُوا أَنَّ كُلَّ مَنْ ضَرَبَ العَيْ رَ مَوَالٍ لَنَا وَأَنَّا الوَلَآءُ
def.4 Also A certain piece of wood which is in the fore part of the [vehicle called] هَوْدَج.
def.5 And A drum. And so, as some say, in the verse cited above.
def.6 And A mountain. And also the name of A mountain of El-Medeeneh: and, as some say, of a mountain of Mekkeh.
def.7 And الأَعْيَارُ (of which the sing. is العَيْرُ, TA) is a name of Certain bright stars in the track of the feet of سُهَيْل [or Canopus].
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