Classical Arabic - English Dictionary

مَسَّهُ, (A, Mgh,) first pers. مَسِسْتُهُ, (Ṣ, M, Mṣb, Ḳ,) for which they sometimes say مِسْتُهُ, rejecting the first س, (Sb,* Ṣ, M,* Ḳ,) and transferring the kesreh thereof to the م (Sb,* Ṣ, M,*) contr. to general rule, (Sb, M,) and some do not transfer the kesreh, but leave the م with its fethah, [saying مَسْتُهُ,] like ظِلْتُمْ and ظَلْتُمْ for ظَلِلْتُمْ, an irregular contraction, (Ṣ,) aor. يَمَسُّهُ, (Ṣ, Mṣb, Ḳ,) [and يَمْسَسْهُ when mejzoom, accord. to rule,] inf. n. مَسٌّ (Ṣ, M, A, Mṣb, Ḳ) and مَسِيسٌ, (Ṣ,* M, A, Ḳ,) or the latter is a simple subst., (Mṣb,) and مِسِّيسَى; (Ṣ,* Ḳ;) and [مَسَّهُ,] first pers. مَسَسْتُهُ; aor. يَمُسُّهُ, (AO, Ṣ, M, Mṣb, Ḳ,) inf. n. مَسٌّ; (Mṣb;) the former of which two verbs is the more chaste; (Ṣ, TA;) He touched it, or felt it, [generally the former,] syn. لَمَسَهُ, (M, A, Ḳ,) with his hand: (TA: as from the Ḳ [but wanting in a MṢ copy of the Ḳ and in the CK:]) or he put his hand to it without the intervention of anything: (Mṣb:) or مَسٌّ is like لَمْسٌ; excepting that the latter is [sometimes] used to signify the seeking for [or feeling for] a thing, even though it be not found; whereas the former is [only] said of that [action] with which is perception by the sense of لمس: (Er-Rághib, TA:) [see also لَمَسَهُ:] and [in like manner you say,] مَاسَّ الشَّىْءُ الشَّىْءَ, inf. n. مُمَاسَّةٌ and مِسَاسٌ, (M, A,*) meaning, the thing met [or touched] the thing with its substance. (M.)

[Hence,] مَسَّهَا, (M, A, Mṣb,) first pers. مَسِسْتُهَا, aor. يَمَسُّهَا, (Mṣb,) inf. n. مَسٌّ and مَسِيسٌ, (Mgh, Mṣb,) ‡ Inivit eam; scil. mulierem; (M, A, Mṣb;) as alsoمَاسَّهَا↓, (M, A, Mṣb,) inf. n. مُمَاسَّةٌ (Ṣ, Mṣb) and مِسَاسٌ: (Mṣb:) the former is used in this sense in several places in the Ḳur, and is said by some to be preferable to the latter: (TA:) and تَمَاسٌّ is also used metonymically for [the coming together, in the sense of] مُبَاضَعَةٌ, as well as مُمَاسَّةٌ. (Ṣ.)

مَسَّ المَآءُ الجَسَدَ, inf. n. مَسٌّ, ‡ The water wetted the body. (Mṣb.)

مَسَّ also signifies ‡ He, or it, struck, or smote; because striking, or smiting, like touching, is with the hand. (TA.) You say, مَسَّهُ بِالسَّوْطِ ‡ [He struck him with the whip]. (A.)

And it is said of anything annoying or hurtful that befals a man. Thus in the Ḳur, [ii. 74, and iii. 23,] لَنْ تَمَسَّنَا النَّارُ ‡ [The fire of hell will not smite us; or here it may be rendered touch us]. And [ii. 210,] مَسَّتْهُمُ البَأْسَآءُ [Distress, or misfortune, smote, or afflicted, or befell, them]. And in other instances; all which are similar to the saying in the same, ذُوقُوا مَسَّ سَقَرَ. (TA.) [See مَسٌّ below.] You say also, مَسَّهُ المَرَضُ ‡ [Sickness smote him, or befell him]: and مَسَّهُ العَذَابُ ‡ [Punishment befell him]: and مَسَّهُ الكِبَرُ ‡ [Old age came upon him]. (A.) And مَسَّتْهُ الجِنُّ ‡ [lit. The jinn, or genii touched him; meaning, affected him with madness, or insanity]: (TA:) [whence,] مُسَّ, [in the TA, مُسَّ بِهِ, app. meaning, from what immediately precedes, مُسَّ بِالجُنُونِ, inf. n. مَسٌّ,] He was, or became, [touched with madness, or insanity: or] mad, or insane: (Ḳ:) as though the jinn had touched him. (TA.) And مَسَّهُ بِعَذَابٍ ‡ He punished him. (TA, from a trad.)

[Hence, app.,] مَسَّتْ إِلَيْهِ الحَاجَةُ, (Ṣ, Ḳ,) inf. n. [مَسٌّ and] مَسِيسٌ, (TA,) † [which seems to signify either The want of him, or it, was difficult of accomplishment, or distressing; or the want was difficult of accomplishment, or distressing, to him]. (Ṣ, Ḳ. [In both these lexicons, the meaning is left to be inferred only from the fact that this phrase immediately follows the explanation of حَاجَةٌ مَاسَّةٌ, q. v.])

[مَسَّ is also said of what is good, as well as of what is evil; as in the following instance:] مَسَّتْهُ مَوَاسُّ الخَيْرِ وَالشَّرِّ ‡ [The haps of good fortune, and of evil,] happened to him, or betided him. (TA.)

[As touching implies proximity,] مَسَّتْ بِكَ رَحِمُ فُلَانٍ signifies ‡ The relationship of such a one is near to you. (Ṣ, Ḳ,* TA.)

And as مَسَّ originally signifies “he touched or felt with the hand,” it is used metaphorically as meaning ‡ He took a thing; as, for instance, (in a trad.,) water from a مِيضَأَة. (TA.)

مَسَّ is made doubly trans. by means of the prep. بِ prefixed to the second objective complement. (Mṣb.) See 4, in two places.

إمسّهُ الشَّىْءَ He made him, or caused him, to touch the thing: (Ṣ,* IJ, M, A:*) he enabled him to touch it. (Mgh.)

أَمَسَّ الجَسَدَ مَآءً, andمَسَّ↓ الجَسَدَ بِمَآءٍ, ‡ He wetted the body with water; or caused water to wet the body. (Mṣb.) And أَمَسَّ وَجْهَهُ الطِّيبَ ‡ He smeared his face with the perfume. (Mgh.) And أَمَسَّتْهُ عَارِضَيْهَا, andمَسَّتْهُ↓ بِعَارِضَيْهَا, ‡ She smeared the sides of her cheeks with it; namely, perfume. (Mgh.)

أَمَسَّهُ شَكْوَى ‡ He made a complaint to him. (M, TA.)

تماسّا They (two bodies) touched each other; were, or became, in contact. (M, A,* Ḳ,*)

Hence, (Ḳ,) ‡ They two came together in the way of مُبَاضَعَة: (Ṣ, Mṣb,* Ḳ:*) in this sense the verb is used in the Ḳur, lviii. 4 and 5. (Ṣ, TA.) See also مَسَّهَا.

مَسٌّ: see 1.

It is used to denote [the first sensible effect of] anything annoying or hurtful that befalls a man. (TA.) Thus in the Ḳur, [liv. 48,] (TA,) ذُوقُوا مَسَّ سَقَرَ ‡ Taste ye the first effect upon you of the fire of hell: (Ḳ, TA:) or the stroke thereof: (Jel:) or the heat and pain thereof. (Bḍ.) In like manner you say, (Ḳ,) وَجَدَ مَسَّ الحُمَّى (M, Ḳ) ‡ He felt the commencement, or first touch, [or access,] of fever, before its taking him forcibly, and becoming apparent. (M, L.) And لَمْ يَجِدْ مَسًّا مِنَ النَّصَبِ ‡ He did not feel the first sensation of fatigue. (TA, from a trad.) [And hence,] بِهِ مَسٌّ مِنَ الجُنُونِ ‡ [In him is a touch, or stroke, of madness, or insanity, or diabolical possession]: (Ṣ, TA:) and مَسٌّ, alone, signifies madness, or insanity, or diabolical possession: (M, A,* Mgh, Ḳ:) as in the Ḳur, ii. 276: (TA:) and you say بِهِ مَسٌّ in him is madness,, &c.: (A,* Mgh:) for they assert that the devil touches one and his intellect in consequence becomes confused. (Mgh.)

You say also, هُوَ حَسَنُ المَسِّ فِى مَالِهِ ‡ He has the impress of a good state, or condition, in his camels, or sheep, or goats: and رَأَيْتُ لَهُ مَسًّا فِى مَالِهِ ‡ I saw him to have an impress of a good state, or condition, in his camels,, &c.: like as you say إِصْبَعًا. (A, TA.)

لَا مَسَاسِ, (Ṣ, M, Ḳ,) like قَطَامِ, (Ṣ, Ḳ,) indecl., with kesr for its termination, because altered from the inf. n. مَسٌّ, (Ṣ,) signifies [properly There shall be no touching: or] touch not thou: (Ḳ:) or touch not thou me: (M:) and some read thus in the Ḳur, [xx. 97:] (M, Ḳ:) it is a saying of the Arabs: (Ṣ:) and sometimes one says مَسَاسِ [alone], in the sense of an imperative, [affirmatively,] like دَرَاكِ and نَزَالِ: (Ḳ:) butلَا مِسَاسَ↓, in the Ḳur, [ubi supra,] (Ṣ, M, Ḳ,) accord. to the reading of others, (M,) signifies There shall be no mutual touching: (M:) or I will not touch nor will I be touched. (Ṣ, Ḳ.)

مَسُوسٌ ‡ Water that is reached by the hands; or taken with the extended hands: (M, Ḳ,* TA:) in the Ḳ, نَالَتْهُ is put by mistake for تَنَاوَلَتْهُ [which is the reading in the M]: (TA:) accord. to which explanation, it has the signification of a pass. part. n.: (M:) or, [in the Ḳ and,] ‡ wholesome water, (A, TA,) that removes thirst, or the heat of thirst, as soon as it touches it: (M, A,* Ḳ,* TA:) accord. to which explanation, it has the signification of an act. part. n.: (M:) and † anything that cures thirst, or the heat of thirst: (IAạr, Ḳ:) or, [in the Ḳ, and,] † water between sweet and salt: (Ṣ, Ḳ:) or, [in the Ḳ and,] † sweet and clear water: (Aṣ, Ḳ:) and † salt, or bitter and thick and undrinkable, water, that burns everything by its saltness. (M.) You say also رِيقَةٌ مَسُوسٌ ‡ Some saliva that takes away thirst. (IAạr, M.) And كَلَأٌ مَسُوسٌ † Herbage that has a fattening and beneficial effect upon the animals that pasture on it. (AḤn, M.)

Also, i. q. فَادْزَهْرٌ [The bezoar-stone]: (Ḳ:) or تِرْيَاقٌ [an antidote against poison]: (M:) or both these words by which it is explained mean the same thing. (TA.)

حَاجَةٌ مَاسَّةٌ † A want difficult of accomplishment; or pressing; syn. مُهِمْةٌ. (Ṣ, Ḳ.)

رَحِمٌ مَاسَّةٌ ‡ Near relationship; (Ṣ, M, A,* Ḳ;) as alsoمَسَّاسَةٌ↓. (TA.)

[Also, as a subst., sing. of مَوَاسٌّ, of which an ex. has been given above, (see 1,) signifying Haps of good fortune, and of evil.]

مَمْسُوسٌ A man in whom is a touch, or stroke, (مَسٌّ,) of madness, insanity, or diabolical possession: (Ṣ, TA:) or mad, insane, or possessed by a devil. (AA, M, A, Mgh, Ḳ.)