Classical Arabic - English Dictionary

كَانَ He or it was. A verb of the class called incomplete, (نَاقِصٌ) because, with the agent which it comprises, or to which it relates, it cannot constitute a complete proposition; i. e., non-attributive. The other verbs of this class are, صَارَ, أَصْبَحَ, أَمْسَى, أَضْحَى, ظَلَّ, بَاتَ, مَا زَالَ, مَا بَرِحَ, مَا فَتِئَ, مَا ٱنْفَكَّ, مَا دَامَ, and لَيْسَ. Each of these governs its noun, or subject, in the nom. case, and its enunciative, or predicate, in the acc. case; as, كَانَ زَيْدٌ قَائِمًا Zeyd was standing.

(The ن in يَكُنْ and the like is often irregularly elided.)

كَانَ, divested of all signification of time. is often used as a copula. (See De Sacy 's Gr. Ar. i. 196.) So too is كَائِنٌ; for هٰذَا زَيْدٌ and هٰذَا كَائِنٌ زَيْدًا signify the same. (Mughnee, voce أَنَّ.)

كَانَ as a complete, i. e., an attributive, verb, see حَصَلَ. in three places.

تَكَوَّنَ He, or it, received, or took, his, or its, being, or existence; came into existence; originated.

اِسْتَكَانَ He was, or became lowly, humble, submissive, or in a state of abasement. (Ḥar, p. 4, q. v.) See اِسْتَكَنَ in art. كين.

نَعُوذُ بِٱللّٰهِ من الحَوْرِ بَعْدَ الكَوْنِ: see حَوْرٌ and كَوْرٌ.

كَيْنُونَةٌ: see شَاخَ.

مَكَانَةٌ A particular place of being or existence. See an ex. voce نَفْسٌ.

مَكَانَكَ وَزَيْدًا [Keep where thou art and approach not Zeyd!] Heard by Ks. (L, art. عند.)

State, or condition. [Bḍ, xi. 122, and xxxix. 40.] See art. مكن.

مَكَانٌ i. q. مَنْزِلَةٌ. (Bḍ, xii. 77.)

هٰذَا مَكَانٌ لِقَوْلِنَا كَذَا This is a ground for our saying thus.

أَصْبَحَ مَكَانَ كَذَا It became as, or like, such a thing. See a verse cited voce رَتْمٌ.