مَعْنًى
[signifying The meaning, or intended sense, of a word or saying,] is from عَنَى بِالقَوْلِكَذَا [q. v.]; so says Z: it is an Verbal.Noun [of this verb] used in the sense of the pass. part. n.; or a contraction of the latter; i. e. of مَعْنِىٌّ: or, accord. to Er-Rághib, it signifies the import of a word or an expression, from the phrase عَنَتِ الأَرْضُ بِالنَّبَاتِ meaning “ the land made apparent, or showed, its plants, or herbage: ” accord. to El-Munáwee, as he says in the Towkeef, [and the like is said in the KT,] an idea, i. e. a mental image, considered as having a word, or an expression, applied to denote it, and as being intended by that word or expression: [the idea, or mental image,] considered as accruing, from the word or expression, in the mind, is termed مَفْهُومٌ: considered as what is said in reply to مَا هُوَ [“ What is it? ”], it is termed مَاهِيَّةٌ: considered as existing objectively, [as that by which a thing is what it is,] it is termed حَقِيقَةٌ: and considered as distinguished from others, it is termed هُوِيَّةٌ: signifying [as expl. above, i. e.] the opposite toلَفْظٌ, it may be either a substance, or thing that subsists by itself, i. e. عَيْنٌ, or an accident, or attribute, i. e. عَرَضٌ: but it also signifies the opposite toعَيْنٌ, i. e. the opposite to a thing that subsists by itself: [hence اِسْمُ مَعْنًى, opposed to اِسْمُ عَيْنٍ; both of which are expl. voce اِسْمٌ, in art. سمو:] مَعْنَىالكَلَامِ and
and
and
, (K, TA, [in the CK, erroneously, مَعْنِيَتُهُ, without the sign of teshdeed,]) the last mentioned by ISd, are one [in signification], as syn. withفَحْوَاهُ and مَقْصَدُهُ [both of which are generally understood as signifying the meaning, or intended sense, of the saying]: AHát says, the vulgar say, لِأَىِّ مَعْنًى فَعَلْتَ [For what intent didst thou such a thing?]; but the Arabs know not المَعْنَى, and never say it: this is the case: but some of the Arabs say, مَا هٰذَا [i. e. What is the meaning, or intent,of this?], with kesr to the ن and with the ى musheddedeh: and AZ says, هٰذَا فِى ذَاكَ and فِى مَعْنَاهُ سَوَآءٌ, i. e. This is [used] in a manner the like of that in respect of indication and import and acceptation: El-Fárábee, also, says, مَعْنَى الشَّىْءِ and
are one [in signification]; and مَعْنَاهُ and فَحْوَاهُ and مُقْتَضَاهُ and مَضْمُونُهُ all signify that which the word, or expression, [termed before the thing,] indicates: and it is said in the T, on the authority of Th, that المَعْنَى and التَّفْسِيرُ and التَّأْوِيلُ, are one [in signification, as meaning explanation, or interpretation, or the like]: and people have used their phrase هٰذَا مَعْنَى كَلَامِهِ, and the like, meaning this is the import, and the indication of the meaning, of his saying; which is agreeable with what is said by AZ and El-Fárábee: the grammarians and lexicologists, moreover, have agreed respecting a mode of expression of which they have made frequent use, their saying هٰذَا بِمَعْنَىهٰذَا [this is used with the meaning of this], and هٰذَا وَهٰذَا فِى المَعْنَى وَاحِدٌ [this and this are in meaning one] and فِى المَعْنَى سَوَآءٌ [in meaning alike], and هٰذَا فِى مَعْنَى هٰذَا [this is used in the sense of this] i. e. this is like this [in meaning]: the pl. of مَعْنًى is مَعَانٍ. 2عِلْمُ المَعَانِى is expl. by El-Munáwee in the “ Towkeef ” as The science whereby one knows how to express clearly one meaning in various ways: [but this definition is applied in the “ Talkhees ” , and Hájjee Khaleefeh uses the same words with only one unimportant variation, in explaining عِلْمُ البَيَانِ; and a similar explanation of the latter is given in the Kull: in a marginal note in a copy of the Ksh, cited by De Sacy in his Anthol. Gr. Ar. p. 305, علم المعانى is expl. as the science whereby is known the manner of adapting language to the requirements of the case; and علمالبيان, as the science that concerns comparisons and tropes and metonymies.] 3 [صُورَةٌ بِلَا مَعْنًى means A form without any intrinsic quality.] 4 And المَعَانِى signifies also The qualities that are commended, or approved; [the charms, or graces;] such as knowledge, or science, and piety, and generosity, and goodliness of make, &c.
Lane's Lexicon — The most scholarly Arabic-English dictionary available
The product of over thirty years of unrelenting labor. A work of such unique greatness that to this day it remains supreme in the field of Arabic lexicography.
✓ Full text search • ✓ Root-based navigation
✓ Advanced filters • ✓ Mobile access