كَادَ
Root: كود
Form: 1
Full Definition
كَادَI
, [originally كَوِدَ,] first pers. كِدْتُ, accord. to the usage of most of the Arabs, Present.T يَكَادُ, the form used by all the Arabs, or يَكُودُ [is also used, by some of those who make the pret. to be originally كَوُدَ], Verbal.Noun كَوْدٌ and كَادٌ and مَكَادَةٌ and مَكَادٌ; and كَادَ, originally كَوُدَ, deviating from constant rule, first pers. كُدْتُ, in the dial. of the Benoo-'Adee, mentioned by Sb as heard from some of the Arabs, Present.T يَكَادُ, deviating from constant rule, [and يَكُودُ, mentioned above, agreeably with rule;] as also كَادَ, (Msb, K, art. كيد,) originally كَيِدَ, first pers. كِدْتُ, Present.T يَكَادُ, (Msb, art. كيد,) Verbal.Noun كَيْدٌ; (L, art. كيد;) and كِيدَ, a form mentioned by Abu-l-Khattáb to Sb, as used by some of the Arabs, who in like manner said مَا زِيلَ يَفْعَلُ
كَذَا, for كَادَ and زَالَ; He was near to doing so; he nearly, well nigh, or almost, did so; he wanted but little of doing so; he purposed, or intended, doing so; but did it not, [or did it not immediately]. كَادَ is applied to signify the being near to doing a thing whether it be [afterwards] done or not done. Without a negative, it enunciates the negation of the action; and coupled with a negative, it enunciates the happening of the action. [This will be explained in the course of the following observations.] It is an incomplete [i. e. a non-attributive] verb, of which only the pret. and Present.T are used. It has a noun as the subject, in the nom. case; and an Present.T, [generally] without أَنْ, as the predicate. Sometimes they introduce أَنْ after it, likening it to عَسَى; as, for ex., in the saying of Ru-beh,
2 As asserts his having heard certain of the Arabs say, لَا أَفْعَلُ ذٰلِكَ وَلَا كَوْدًا [I will not do that, nor will I be near to doing it].
3 كَادَ also signifies He desired; syn. أَرَادَ. So in the verse
4 عَرَفَ مَا يُكَادُ مِنْهُ [is in like manner explained] He hath become acquainted with that which is desired of him.
5 You say to him who seeks of you a thing, when you do not desire to give him it, لَا وَلَا مَكَادَةَ وَلَا مَهَمَّةَ, and لَا كَوْدًا وَلَا هَمًّا, and لَا مَكَادًا وَلَا مَهَمًّا, i. e. لَا أَكَادُ وَلَا أَهُمُّ [No, nor do I desire, nor do I purpose, or intend].
6 You also say, in the same sense, لَا مَهَمَّةَ لِى وَلَا مَكَادَةَ [I have no purpose or intention, nor any desire].
7 See also كَادَ in art. كيد.
[It had nearly come to nought from length of wear]. Used affirmatively, it is affirmative of the being near [to doing a thing, &c.]; and used negatively, it is negative thereof. It is a well-known opinion of many, that, used affirmatively, it is negative; and used negatively, it is affirmative: so that كَادَ زَيْدٌ يَفْعَلُ means [Zeyd was near to doing; but] he did not [or did not immediately]; as is shown by the expression [in the Kur xvii. 75, where إِنْ is a contraction of إِنَّ,] وَإِنْ كَادُوا لَيَفْتِنُونَكَ [And verily they were near to seducing thee]: and مَا كَادَ يَفْعَلُ means [He was not near to doing; but] he did; as is shown by the expression [in the Kur ii. 66,] وَمَا كَادُوا يَفْعَلُونَ [And they were not near to doing ; but they afterwards did ]. I'Ab is related to have said, that wherever كَادَ and أَكَادُ and يَكَادُ occur in the Kur-án, they denote a thing's never happening. Some say, that كَادَ [with a negative] denotes an action's happening with difficulty. Some, again, say, that the pret. preceded by a negative is affirmative [of the action &c.]; as is shown by the expression وَمَا كَادُوا يَفْعَلُونَ [quoted above]: and that the Present.T preceded by a negative is negative; as is shown by the expression [in the Kur xxiv, 40,] لَمْ يَكَدْ يَرَاهَا [He is not near to seeing it]; meaning that he sees not anything: [though this phrase is said to bear a different meaning, which see below]. But the correct opinion is the one first mentioned; that, used affirmatively, it is affirmative [of the being near to do a thing &c.]; and used negatively, it is negative [thereof]: so that كَادَ يَفْعَلُ signifies He was near to doing; but did not [or did not immediately]: and مَا كَادَ يَفْعَلُ He was not near to doing; much less did he do [or do immediately]; the denial of the action [or of the immediate performance of the action] being necessarily understood from the denial of the being near to do it. As to the expression in the Kur, وَمَا كَادُوا يَفْعَلُونَ [quoted above], it enunciates the state of the people to whom it relates in the beginning of their case; for they were far from sacrificing the cow; and the affirmation of the action is understood only from the [preceding] expression فَذَبَحُوهَا. And as to the expression [in the Kur xvii. 76,] لَقَدْ كِدتَّ تَرْكَنُ إِلَيْهِمْ [Thou hadst certainly been near to inclining to them], the Prophet's not inclining to them little or much is understood from لَوْلَا [preceding], which requires this inference. [Often, however, or generally, with a negative preceding or following it, it is affirmative of the action's happening, but only after difficulty, or delay.] Aboo-Bekr says, that مَا كَادَ فُلَانٌ يَقُومُ means [Such a one hardly, or scarcely, or tardily, rose; like لَمْ يَكَدْ يَقُومُ, and كَادَ لَا يَقُومُ; وَقَدْ قَامَ being understood; or] he rose after being slow, or tardy: and accord. to Az and others, مَا كِدْتُ أَفْعَلُ means [I hardly, or scarcely, or tardily, did; or] I did after being slow, or tardy: but sometimes it means I was not near to doing. (Msb, art. كيد.) It is said, that كَادَ is sometimes a [mere redundant] connective (صِلَة) of the members of a sentence; as in لَمْ يَكَدْ يَرَاهَا [quoted above], meaning, He does not see it: or this means he is not near to seeing it: or, as some say, he sees it after his having been not near to seeing it by reason of the intenseness of the darkness: [or he hardly, or scarcely, or tardily, sees it:] and Fr says, with reference to the verse in which this phrase occurs, that it is allowable to say لَمْ يَكَدْ يَقُومُ [meaning, He hardly, or scarcely, or tardily, rose] when one has risen after difficulty. [Thus it appears, that, مَا كَادَ يَفْعَلُ and لَمْ يَكَدْ يَفْعَلُ sometimes signify He hardly, or scarcely, or tardily, did: and sometimes, he was not near to doing; he never did; he did not at all: so that it may be rendered he hardly or scarcely, or nowise or in nowise or never, did: or he could hardly do, or he could not at all, or could not nearly, or he could nowise or in nowise, do.]قَدْ كَادَ مِنْ طُولِ البِلَى أَنْ يَمْصَحَا
2 As asserts his having heard certain of the Arabs say, لَا أَفْعَلُ ذٰلِكَ وَلَا كَوْدًا [I will not do that, nor will I be near to doing it].
3 كَادَ also signifies He desired; syn. أَرَادَ. So in the verse
[She desired, and I desired; and that were the best of desire, if what hath passed, of the diverting delight of tender love, returned]. So, too, in the saying in the Kur [xx. 15,] أَكَادُ أُخْفِيهَا I desire to conceal it: or, to manifest it: for, like as it is allowable to put أُرِيدُ in the place of أَكَادُ, as in the saying in the Kur [xviii. 76,] جِدَارًا يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَنْقَضَّ, so it is to use اكاد [in the place of اريد]: Akh says, that the words of the verse in question mean I will conceal it, أُخْفِيهَا: and some say, that the meaning is I will manifest it: but most hold, that اكاد should here be rendered in its original sense. Some of the Arabs make كاد to denote certainty; like ظَنَّ, which primarily denotes doubt, and secondarily certainty. (L, art. كيد.)كَادَتْ وَكِدْتُ وَتِلْكَ خَيْرُ إِرَادَةٍ لَوْ عَادَ مِنْ لَهْوِ الصَّبَابَةِ مَا مَضَى
4 عَرَفَ مَا يُكَادُ مِنْهُ [is in like manner explained] He hath become acquainted with that which is desired of him.
5 You say to him who seeks of you a thing, when you do not desire to give him it, لَا وَلَا مَكَادَةَ وَلَا مَهَمَّةَ, and لَا كَوْدًا وَلَا هَمًّا, and لَا مَكَادًا وَلَا مَهَمًّا, i. e. لَا أَكَادُ وَلَا أَهُمُّ [No, nor do I desire, nor do I purpose, or intend].
6 You also say, in the same sense, لَا مَهَمَّةَ لِى وَلَا مَكَادَةَ [I have no purpose or intention, nor any desire].
7 See also كَادَ in art. كيد.
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