Classical Arabic - English Dictionary

غَاصَ فِى المَآءِ, aor. يَغُوصُ, (Ṣ, A, Mṣb,) inf. n. غَوْصٌ (Ṣ, A, Ḳ) and مَغَاصٌ and غِيَاصَةٌ and غِيَاصٌ, (Ḳ,) He dived in, or descended beneath, the water; (Ṣ, A, Ḳ;) or entered into the water; (TA;) to fetch out what was in it. (Mṣb [in my copy of which, the particle فى is omitted, app. by a slip of the transcriber].)

غِيَاصَةٌ [also] signifies The diving in the sea for pearls; (Ṣ;) and غَوْصٌ signifies [the same: or both signify] the fetching out pearls from beneath the water. (Mgh.)

[Hence,] you say also, غَاصَ عَلَى الأَمْرِ, (Ḳ,) inf. n. غَوْصٌ, (TA,) ‡ [He dived for the thing, or affair, so as to elicit it; or] he knew the thing, or affair. (Ḳ, TA.) And غَاصَ عَلَى المَعَانِى حَتَّى بَلَغَ أَقْصَاهَا وَٱسْتَخْرَجَ مَا بَعُدَ مِنْهَا وَدَقَّ فَهْمُهُ ‡ [He dived for the meanings so that he reached the uttermost of them, and elicited what was remote of them, and the understanding whereof was subtile]. (Mṣb.) And فُلَانٌ يَغُوصُ عَلَى حَقَائِقِ العِلْمِ ‡ [Such a one dives for the verities of science]. (A, TA.) And مَا أَحْسَنَ غَوْصَهُ عَلَيْهَا ‡ [How good is his diving for them!]. (A, TA.) And مَا غَاصَ غَوْصَةً إِلَّا أَخْرَجَ دُرَّةً ‡ [He did not dive a single diving but he fetched out what was like a pearl, or a large pearl]. (A, TA.)

You say also, غَاصَ عَلَى الشَّىْءِ, aor. يَغُوصُ, inf. n. غَوْصٌ, He pounced, or came suddenly, or at unawares, upon the thing. (Mṣb.)

غوّصهُ فِى المَآءِ He made him to dive in, or descend beneath, the water; (A;) he immersed, immerged, dipped, plunged, or sunk, him therein. (TA.)

غَوْصَةٌ [A single diving in, or descent beneath, water: see 1, last sentence but one]. (A.)

غَائِصٌ One who dives in, or descends beneath, or enters into, water; as alsoغَوَّاصٌ↓ [which, however, has an intensive signification, or implies the habit of so doing]: (TA:) and↓ the latter, (Ṣ, A, Ḳ,) or both, (Az, TA,) particularly one who dives in the sea for pearls, (Ṣ, A, Ḳ,) or for pearl-shells, and fetches them out: (Az, TA:) pl. غُوَّاصٌ, (A, TA,) of the former, (TA,) and غَاصَةٌ, (A, TA,) [also of the former,] and [of the latter] غَوَّاصُونَ. (TA.)

[Hence the saying,] هَوَ مِنْ صَاغَةِ الفِقَرِ وَغَاصَةِ الدُّرَرِ ‡ [He is of the moulders of فِقَر, lit., as thus used, ornaments fashioned in the form of the vertebræ of the back, but here meaning choice phrases or sentences; and of the divers for, and producers of, (expressions like) pearls, or large pearls]. (A, TA.)

[Hence likewise,] غَوَّاصٌ↓ also signifies ‡ One who exercises art, craft, cunning, or skill, in ordering the means of obtaining subsistence. (TA.)

And غَائِصٌ also signifies One who pounces, or comes suddenly, or at unawares, upon a thing; (JK, Ṣ, Mṣb;) as also, (JK, Mṣb,) but in an intensive sense, (Mṣb,) غَوَّاصٌ↓: (JK, Mṣb:) pl. of the former غَاصَةٌ. (Mṣb.)

مَغَاصٌ A place where one dives in, or descends beneath, water; (Lth, A, Ḳ;) as alsoغَوْصٌ↓: (Lth, Mgh:) or↓ the latter signifies particularly a place [where one dives and] whence pearls are fetched out. (JK, Mgh.*) You say also, هٰذَا مَغَاصُ اللُّؤْلُؤِ This is the diving-place for pearls. (A.)

Also The upper part of the سَاق [or shank,, &c.]. (JK, Ṣgh, Ḳ.)