Classical Arabic - English Dictionary

by Edward William Lane (1801-1876)

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ليه م مأ


م

Arabic Letter م

[The twenty-fourth letter of the alphabet; called مِيمٌ. It is one of the letters termed مَجْهُورَة, or vocal, and of those termed شَفَهِيَّة or labial: it is a letter of augmentation.]

Root: م - Entry: م Dissociation: B

[As a numeral, it denotes forty.]


Supplement:

مَ / مِ / مُ / مّ

مَ for the interrogative مَا immediately following a prep.: see مَا in the Ṣ, Ḳ; and إِلَى last sentence.

Root: م - Entry: مَ Signification: A2
Root: م - Entry: مَ Signification: A3

مُ ٱللّٰهِ, &c.: see أَيْمُنُ ٱللّٰهِ.

Root: م - Entry: مَ Signification: A4

مّ for أُمّ: see the latter.


مَا

مَا when following كُلّ or إِنَّ or أَيْنَ or أَىّ, if having the signification of الَّذِى, is written separately. (El-Ḥareeree, in De Sacy's Anthol. Gram. Ar., p. 67 of the Ar. text.)

Root: م - Entry: مَا Signification: A2

مَا added to certain adverbial nouns is not merely redundant, but gives to them a conditional and general signification; as in أَيْنَمَا Wherever; and حَيْثُمَا Wherever, and whenever;, &c.: see Ḳur, ii. 143, 145, &c.: and see De Sacy's Gram., i. 537 and 538.

Root: م - Entry: مَا Signification: A3

مَا While; as in مَا دُمْتُ حَيًّا: and as much as; see Ḳur, lxiv. 16.

Root: م - Entry: مَا Signification: A4

بِمَا Because بِمَا كَانُوا يَفْسُقُونَ Because they did transgress; or for that they did transgress. (Ḳur.)

Root: م - Entry: مَا Signification: A5

إِنَّكَ مَا وَخَيْرًا, for مَعَ خَيْرٍ. See خَيْرٌ.

Root: م - Entry: مَا Signification: A6

مَا is also added to a noun to denote the littleness of that which is signified by the noun; as in أَرَبٌ مَّا Some little want. (IAth in TA, art. ارب.)

Root: م - Entry: مَا Signification: A7

مَا in أَمَّا and إِمَّا (of which latter إِمَّا لَا is an instance) I have mentioned in arts. أَمَّا and إِمَّا.

Root: م - Entry: مَا Signification: A8

بَالِغًا مَا بَلَغَ: see بَلَغَ.

Root: م - Entry: مَا Signification: A9

مَا أَنْتَ [What art thou?] means what are thy qualities, or attributes? (Ḥar, p. 155.) مَا رَبُّ العَالَمِينَ, in the Ḳur, xxvi. 22, means أَىٌّ شَىْءٍ هُوَ. (Jel.) See also an ex. voce فَىّ.

Root: م - Entry: مَا Signification: A10

مَا لَكَ signifies أَىُّ شَىْءٍ ثَبَتَ لَكَ (IbrD) and may be rendered What aileth thee?

Root: م - Entry: مَا Signification: A11

شَىْءٌ مَّا Some particular thing: something. (See إِيهِ.) Also, Any particular thing? (IbrD.) See an ex. cited voce صَبَاحٌ.

Root: م - Entry: مَا Signification: A12

فَتًى مَّا فُلَانٌ An excellent youth is such a one. (IbrD.) See Kull, p. 336. See also Bḍ, middle p. 42.

Root: م - Entry: مَا Signification: A13

مَا is sometimes put for مَا دَامَ, مَا دَامُوا, and the like; i. e. As long as: see an ex. voce كَاظَّ, and التُّرْكُ, and جَلَّ.

Root: م - Entry: مَا Signification: A14

الشَّكْلُ إِلَى الطُّولِ مَا هُوَ The form inclines somewhat to length; agreeably with a rendering voce عُقْرٌ: see De Sacy's Gr., sec. ed., i. 543 and 539: see also شَىْءٌ مَّا above: in the Ḳur xxxviii. 23, ما is redundant, (Bḍ,) denoting vagueness and wonder, (Ksh, Bḍ,) or a corroborative of fewness: (Jel:) it means somewhat whether great or little in degree or importance.

Root: م - Entry: مَا Dissociation: B

مَا, the negative particle, followed by a pret., often requires the latter to be rendered in English by the preterperfect: ex. مَا رَأَيْتُهُ مُذْ يَوْمَان I have not seen him for two days. See De Sacy's Anthol. Gram. Ar., p. 253.


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