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وَسْوَاسٌ

Root: وس

Full Definition

وَسْوَاسٌ a subst. from وَسْوَسَ; signifying, [Speech, or talk, that is indistinct: or low, faint, gentle, or soft: or low, &c., and confused: see 1.
2 And hence,] The soul's, or mind's, and the devil's, prompting, or suggestion, or talk, of what is vain, or unprofitable, and destitute of good; as also وَسْوَسَةٌ [used as subst., in which case its pl. is وَسَاوِسُ, occurring below].
3 [And hence,] An evil, or unprofitable, idea, imagination, or thought, which bestirs itself in, or occurs to, the mind.
4 And [by a metonymy,] A certain disease, [i. e. melancholia, in which is a doting in the imagination and judgment, a sort of delirium, vulgarly attributed to diabolical prompting or suggestion, but, it is said,] arising from a predominance of the black bile, attended with confusion of the intellect.
5 [And from the primary signification seem to be derived those which here follow.] The low, or faintly heard, sound of the hunter and the dogs.
6 A low or faint sound [or rustling] of wind; as also وَسْوَسَةٌ .
7 The sounds, or sound, of women's ornaments: [the chinking thereof: see 1.]

def.2 Also, الوَسْوَاسُ The devil; a name of the devil: it occurs in verse 4 of the last chap. of the Kur; and is said to mean there ذُو الوَسْوَاسِ [the prompter, or suggester, of what is vain, or unprofitable, and destitute of good.


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