Classical Arabic - English Dictionary

ظَنَّ, aor. ـُ {يَظْنُنُ}, inf. n. ظَنٌّ, (Mṣb,) [He thought, opined, supposed, or conjectured: and he doubted: and he knew, but not by ocular perception: see ظَنٌّ below:] you say, ظَنَنْتُ الشَّىْءَ, aor. أَظُنُّهُ, inf. n. ظَنٌّ; andاِظَّنَنْتُهُ↓ and اِظْطَنَنْتُهُ; andتَظَنَّنْتُهُ↓ and تَظَنَّيْتُهُ, this last formed by changing the last ن into ى: [i. e. I thought the thing,, &c.:] and Lḥ mentions, as heard from the Benoo-Suleym, ظَنْتُ ذَاكَ i. e. ظَنَنْتُ ذاك [I thought that,, &c.] like ظَلْتُ and other instances of the dial. of Suleym. (M.) [In the first of the senses expl. above, it governs two objective complements, which are originally an inchoative and an enunciative:] you say, ظَنَنْتُكَ زَيْدًا [I thought thee Zeyd, originally I thought thou wast Zeyd], and ظَنَنْتُ زَيْدًا إِيَّاكَ [I thought Zeyd thee, originally I thought Zeyd was thou], denoting by a pronoun what is originally an inchoative [in the former phrase] and what is originally an enunciative [in the latter phrase]. (Ṣ, TA.) It is also used [in this sense] in the same manner as a verb signifying an oath, the Arabs giving it the same kind of complement, saying, ظَنَنْتُ لَعَبْدُ ٱللّٰهِ خَيْرٌ مِنْكَ [I thought surely ʼAbd-Allah was better than thou]. (Ṣ in art. درد.) [ظَنَّ بِهِ كَذَا means I thought of him, or it, such a thing: and I thought such a thing to be in him, or it: and is used in relation to good and to evil.] It is said in the Ḳur [xxxiii. 10], وَتَطُنُّونَ بِٱللّٰهِ ٱلظُّنُونَا [And ye were thinking, of God, various thoughts]. (M.) Accord. to Sb, ظَنَنْتُ بِهِ means I made him, or it, the place [i. e. object] of my ظَنّ [or thought,, &c.]. (M.) [In all these exs. the verb denotes a state of mind between doubt and certainty, but the latter is predominant: and hence ظَنَّ sometimes means He doubted: and sometimes, he knew, by considering with endeavour to understand, not by ocular perception; being more frequently used in this sense than as meaning “he doubted,” though not so frequently as it is in the sense of “he thought,” whence the meaning “he knew” is held by some to be tropical.] إِنَّى ظَنَنْتُ أَنِّى مُلَاقٍ حِسَابِيَهْ, in the Ḳur [lxix. 20], means Verily I knew [that I should meet with my reckoning]. (T.) And ٱلَّذِينَ يَظُنُّونَ أَنَّهُمْ مُلَاقُو رَبِّهِمْ, in the same [ii. 43], means Who know [that they shall meet their Lord, lit., be meeters of their Lord]. (Mṣb.) And ظَنَنْتُ مَا قَالَ, occurring in a trad., means I knew [what he meant to say by his making a sign with his hand]. (TA.)

ظَنَنْتُهُ, (M, Mgh, Mṣb,) aor. as above, (Mṣb,) and so the inf. n., (M,) signifies also I suspected him; thought evil of him; (M, Mgh, Mṣb;) and (M) so اِظَّنَنْتُهُ↓ (Ṣ, M, Mgh, Ḳ) and اِظْطَنَنْتُهُ (M, TA) and اِطَّنَنْتُهُ. (TA.) [Thus, too, أَظْنَنْتُهُ↓ accord. to several copies of the Ṣ and accord. to the CK; but this is app. a mistranscription.] In the saying of Ibn-Seereen,لَمْ يَكُنْ عَلِىٌّ يُظَّنُّ↓ فِى قَتْلِ عُثْمَانَ, (T, Ṣ, Ḳ, but in the T مَا كَان,) meaning Alee was not suspected [in the case of the slaying of ʼOthmán], (T,) يُظَّنُّ is of the measure يُفْتَعَلُ, originally يُظْتَنُّ: (T, Ṣ, Ḳ:) so says AʼObeyd: (T:) or, as some relate it, the word is يُطَّنُّ. (TA.) One says,هُوَ يُظَّنُّ↓ بِكَذَا and يُطَّنُّ, meaning He is suspected of such a thing. (TA in art. طن.) And طَنَنْتُ بِزَيْدٍ and ظَنَنْتُ زَيْدًا I suspected Zeyd: in this sense the verb has a single objective complement. (TA.)

أَظْنَنْتُهُ الشَّىْءَ I made him to think the thing. (M, TA.)

And أَظْنَنْتُ بِهِ النَّاسَ [I made the people to suspect him: or] I exposed him to suspicion; (M, Mṣb, TA;) [and] so أَظنَنْتُهُ [alone]. (Ḳ.)

See also 1, last quarter.

التَّظَنِّى means The exercising, employing, or using, of الظَّنّ [i. e. thought,, &c.]; originally التَّظَنُّنُ. (Ṣ, Ḳ.) AʼObeyd says, تَظَنَّيْتُ is from ظَنَنْتُ, and is originally تَظَنَّنْتُ; the ن being many, one of them is changed into ى: it is like قَصَّيْتُ, which is originally قَصَّصْتُ. (T.)

See also 1, first sentence.

ظَنٌّ is a simple subst. as well as an inf. n.; (TA;) and signifies Thought, opinion, supposition, or conjecture: (Er-Rághib, Mgh, TA:) or a preponderant belief, with the admission that the contrary may be the case: (KT, El-Munáwee, TA:) or a preponderating wavering between the two extremes in indecisive belief: (Ḳ:) or an inference from a sign, or mark, or token; when strong, leading to knowledge; and when weak, not exceeding the limit of وَهْم: (Er-Rághib, TA:) or doubt or uncertainty; (T, M;) or it has this meaning also; (Er-Rághib, TA;) contr. of يَقِينٌ: (Mṣb:) and sometimes it is put in the place, (Ṣ, Ḳ,) or used in the sense, (Mgh, Mṣb,) of عِلْمٌ, (Ṣ, Mgh, Ḳ,) or يَقِينٌ, (Mṣb,) [i. e. knowledge, or certainty,] in which sense it is [held by some to be] tropical; (Mgh;) or it signifies also knowledge, or certainty, (يَقِينٌ, T, M,) such as is obtained by considering with endeavour to understand, not by ocular perception, (M,) or not such as relates to an object of sense: (MF:) and it also means suspicion, or evil opinion: (Er-Rághib, TA: [but in this last sense, ظِنَّةٌ is more common:]) as a subst., (TA,) its pl. is ظُنُونٌ and أَظَانِينُ, (M, Ḳ, TA,) the latter anomalous, or (as ISd says, TA) it may be pl. ofأُظْنُونَةٌ↓, but this I do not know. (M, TA.) One says, هُوَ سَيِّئُ الظَّنِّ بِكُلِّ أَحَدٍ [He is evil in opinion of everyone]. (M.) [And سَآءَ ظَنُّهُ بِفُلَانٍ His opinion of such a one was evil.] And عِلْمُهُ بِالشَّىْءِ ظُنُونٌ [His knowledge is but opinions]; meaning that no confidence is to be placed in him. (TA.)

ظِنَّةٌ Suspicion, or evil opinion; (T, Ṣ, M, Mgh, Mṣb, Ḳ;) as also طِنَّةٌ; the ظ being changed into ط, though there is no إِدْغَام in this case, because of their being accustomed to say اِطَّنَّ [for اِظَّنَّ, which is for اِظْطَنَّ]; an instance like الدِّكْرُ, which is made to accord with اِدَّكَرَ [for اِذَّكَرَ, which is for اِذْدَكَرَ], as mentioned by Sb; (M;) andظَنَانَةٌ↓, (so accord. to a copy of the M,) orظِنَانَةٌ↓, like كِتَابَةٌ, (TA,) signifies the same: (M, TA:) the pl. of ظِنَّةٌ is ظِنَنٌ. (Ṣ, Ḳ.) One says, عِنْدَهُ ظِنَّتِى and هُوَ ظِنَّتِى, meaning He is the place [i. e. object] of my suspicion. (TA.)

And [hence] † A little [like the French “soupçon”] of a thing. (TA.)

ظَنُونٌ A man who thinks evil (Ṣ, M) of everyone. (M.)

A man possessing little good or goodness: or, as some say, of whom one asks [a thing] thinking that he will refuse, and who is as he was thought to be: (M:) [or] ظَنِينٌ↓ has this latter meaning. (TA.)

A man in whose goodness no trust, or confidence, is to be placed. (M.) And Anything in which no trust, or confidence, is to be placed, (M, TA,) of water, and of other things; (TA;) as alsoظَنِينٌ↓. (M, TA.) A well (بِئْرٌ) having little water, (Ṣ, M, Ḳ,) in the water of which no trust, or confidence, is to be placed: (M:) or a well, (Ṣ, Ḳ,) or a drinkingplace, (M,) of which one knows not whether there be in it water or not: (Ṣ, M, Ḳ:) or water which one imagines, or supposes, to exist, but of which one is not sure. (TA.) كُلُّ مَنِيَّةٍ ظَنُونٌ إِلَّا القَتْلَ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللّٰهِ is a saying mentioned, but not expl., by IAạr; [app. meaning Every death is doubtful as to its consequence except slaughter in the way, or cause, of God; but ISd says,] in my opinion the meaning is that it is of little good and profit. (M.) دَيْنٌ ظَنُونٌ means A debt of which one knows not whether he who owes it will pay it or not: (AʼObeyd, T, Ṣ, M,* Ḳ:) it is said in a trad. of ʼOmar that there is no poorrate in the case of such a debt. (TA.)

Also A man suspected in relation to his intellect, or intelligence. (Aboo-Tálib, TA.) And A woman suspected in relation to her grounds of pretension to respect, or honour, on account of lineage, &c. (TA.) And A woman of noble rank or quality, who is taken in marriage, (M, Ḳ,) from a desire of obtaining off spring by her, when she is advanced in age. (M.)

Also A weak man. (Ḳ. [See also ظَنينٌ.])

And A man having little artifice, cunning, ingenuity, or skill. (Ḳ.)

ظَنِينٌ Suspected; (T, Ṣ, M, Mgh, Mṣb, Ḳ;) applied to a man; (Ṣ, M;) i. q.مَظْنُونٌ↓, (Mbr, Mṣb,) in this sense: (Mṣb:) pl. أَظِنَّآءُ. (M, TA.) Thus in the saying in the Ḳur [lxxxi. 24], وَمَا هُوَ عَلَى ٱلْغَيْبِ بِظَنِينٍ, (T, M, Mṣb,) meaning And he is not suspected as to what he makes known from God, of the knowledge of that which is undiscoverable, as is related on the authority of ʼAlee: or, accord. to Fr, it may mean weak; for ظَنِينٌ may have this meaning like as ظَنُونٌ has: (T:) some read بِضَنينٍ. (TA in art. ضن, q. v.) شَهَادَةُ ظَنِينٍ, which is said in a trad. to be not allowable, is The testimony of one who is suspected as to his religion. (TA.) Andنَفْسٌ ظَنَّآءُ↓ means [A soul, or person,] suspected. (TA.)

Also One who treats or regards another, or others, with enmity, or hostility; (T, M;) because of his evil opinion and the evil opinion of which he is an object. (M.)

See also ظَنُونٌ, in two places.

ظَنَّانٌ One who opines, or conjectures, much [and] in an evil manner; as alsoظُنَنٌ↓. (TA.)

أَظَنُّ [Such as is more, or most, fit that one should think of him to do a thing]. You say, نَظَرْتُ إِلَى أَظَنِّهِمْ أَنْ يَفْعَلَ ذٰلِكَ I looked towards him who was the most fit of them that I should think of him to do that. (M, TA.)

مَظِنَّةٌ, (M, Mgh, Mṣb, TA,) of which مَظَنَّةٌ, mentioned by Ibn-Málik and others, and مِظَنَّةٌ, are dial. vars., (TA,) or [rather] مَظِنَّةُ شَىْءٍ, (IF, Ṣ, Mṣb, Ḳ, TA,) signifies The place, (IF, Ṣ, Mṣb, Ḳ, TA,) and the accustomed place, (IF, Ṣ, Mṣb, TA,) in which is thought to be the existence, (Ṣ, Ḳ, TA,) of a thing; (IF, Ṣ, Mṣb, Ḳ, TA;) [a place] where a thing is thought to be: (M:) or it signifies, (Mgh, Mṣb,) or signifies also, (Ṣ,) a place where a thing is known to be: (Ṣ, Mgh, Mṣb:) [a thing, and a person, in which, or in whom, a thing, or quality, is thought, supposed, presumed, suspected, inferred, known, or accustomed, to be, or exist:] accord. to IAth, by rule it should be مَظَنَّةٌ: (TA:) [it may therefore be properly rendered a cause of thinking,, &c., the existence of a thing; and مَظِنَّةٌ لِكَذَا may be well expl. as meaning a thing, and a person, that occasions one's thinking, supposing, presuming suspecting, inferring, or knowing, the existence of such a thing or quality, in it, or in him: and hence, an indication, or evidence, or a symptom, diagnostic, characteristic, sign, mark, or token, of the existence of such a thing or quality:] the pl. is مَظَانُّ. (M, Mgh, Mṣb, TA.) One says, مَوْضِعُ كَذَا مَظِنَّةٌ مِنْ فُلَانٍ i. e. Such a place is a place in which such a one is known [&c.] to be. (Ṣ, TA.) And فُلَانٌ مَظِنَّةٌ مِنْ كَذَا i. e. Such a one is one in whom such a thing, or quality, is known [&c.] to be. (Lḥ, T.) And فُلَانٌ مَظِنَّةٌ لِلْخَيْرِ i. e. Such a one is one in whom good, or goodness, is thought [&c.] to be. (Ḥam p. 437.) And En-Nábighah says,

* فَإِنْ يَكُ عَامِرٌ قَدْ قَالَ جَهْلًا *

* فَإِنَّ مَظِنَّةَ الجَهْلِ الشَّبَابُ *

[And if 'Ámir has spoken ignorantly, verily youthfulness is a state in which ignorance is usually found to exist]: (Ṣ, Mṣb:*) or, as some relate the verse, السِّبَابُ [so that the meaning is, mutual reviling is an act in which, &c.]: (Ṣ:) or, accord. to another relation, the latter hemistich is

* فَإِنَّ مَطِيَّةَ الجَهْلِ الشَّبَابُ *

(Ṣ,* TA;) because one finds it [i. e. youthfulness] to be easy like as he does the beast on which one rides. (TA.) And one says also, طَلَبَهُ مَظَانَّهُ [He sought him, or it, in the places where he, or it, was thought to be;] meaning, by night and by day. (TA.) And إِنَّهُ لَمَظِنَّةٌ أَنْ يَفْعَلَ ذٰلِكَ i. e. Verily he is apt, meet, fitted, or suited, for one to think of his doing that: and in like manner one says of two, and of a pl. number, and of a female. (Lḥ, M.)

مَظْنُونٌ [Thought, opined,, &c.: see its verb: and] see ظَنِينٌ. Applied to a narrative, or story, it means [Doubted; or] of which one is not to be made to know the real state. (TA in art. رجم.) In lexicology, A word of the class termed آحَادٌ [q. v.]. (Mz 3rd نوع.)