احد

أَحَدٌ ذ , originally وَحَدٌ, the و being changed into أ, (Msb,) One; the first of the numbers; (S;) syn. [in many cases] with وَاحِدٌ; (S, Msb, K;) with which it is interchangeable in two cases, to be explained below: (Msb:) pl. اآحَادٌ and أٌحْدَانٌ (K) and أَحَدُونَ, which last occurs in a phrase hereafter to be mentioned; (TA;) or it has no pl. in this sense; (Msb, K, * TA;) and as to اآحَادٌ, it may be pl. of وَاحِدٌ, [and originally أَوْحَادٌ,] like أَشْهَادٌ as pl. of شَاهِدٌ, (Th, Msb,) a pl. of pauc. (Msb.) The fem. is ↓ اـِحْدَى only; and this is only used in particular cases, to be shown below: (Msb:) most agree that the ى in this word is the characteristic of the fem. gender: but some say that it is to render it quasi-coordinate to the quadriliteral-radical class: [this, however, is inconsistent with its pronunciation, which is invariably اـِحْدَى, not اـِحْدَّى:] (TA:) its pl. is اـِحَدٌ, as though the sing. were اـِحْدَةٌ, like as is said of ذِكَرٌ as pl. of ذِكْرَى: one of the expositors of the Tes-heel writes it أُحَدٌ, with damm and then fet-h; but a pl. of this measure is not applicable to a sing. of the measure فِعْلَى, with kesr. (MF.) The dim. of أَحَدٌ is ↓ أُحَيْدٌ; and that of اـِحْدَى is ↓ أُحَيْدَى. (L in art. وحد.) ― -b2- It is interchangeable with وَاحِدٌ in two cases: first, when it is used as an epithet applied to God: (Msb:) for الأَحَدُ, as an epithet, is applied to God alone, (Msb, K,) and signifies The One; the Sole; He who has ever been one and alone: or the Indivisible: or He who has no second [ to share ] in his lordship, nor in his essence, nor in his attributes: (TA:) you say, هُوَ الوَاحِدُ and هُوَ الأَحَدُ: and in like manner, أَحَدٌ, without the article, is used as an epithet specially in relation to God, and is interchangeable in this case [but not in other cases] with وَاحِدٌ: therefore you do not say رَجُلٌ أَحَدٌ nor دِرْهَمٌ أَحَدٌ and the like [but رَجُلٌ وَاحدٌ and دِرهَمٌ وَاحِدٌ &c.] (Msb.) [See also وَاحِدٌ, in art. وحد.] In the phrase in the Kur [cxii. 1], قُلْ هُوَ اللّٰهُ أَحَدٌ [ Say, He is God, One God], أَحَدٌ is a substitute for اللّٰهُ; for an indeterminate noun is sometimes a substitute for a determinate noun, as in another passage in the Kur, xcvi. 15 and 16. (S.) Secondly, it is interchangeable with وَاحِدٌ in certain nouns of number: (Msb:) you say أَحَدَ عَشَرَ [masc.] and اـِحْدَى عَشْرَةَ [fem.] (S) [meaning Eleven: and in these two cases you may not substitute وَاحِدٌ and وَاحِدَةٌ for أَحَدٌ and اـِحْدَى: but] in أَحَدٌوعَشْرُونَ [ One and twenty, and the like,] أَحَدٌ is interchangeable with وَاحِدٌ. (Msb.) Ks says, When you prefix the article ال to a number, prefix it to every number; therefore you should say, مَا فَعَلَتِ الأَحَدَ العَشَرَ الأَلْفَ الدِّرْهَمَ [ What did the eleven thousand dirhems? ]: but the Basrees prefix it to the first only, and say, ما فعلت الأَحَدَ عَشَرَ أَلْفَ دِرْهَمٍ. (S.) ― -b3- In [most] cases differing from these two, there is a difference in usage between أَحَدٌ and وَاحِدٌ: the former is used in affirmative phrases as a prefixed noun only, governing the noun which follows it in the gen. case; [as in exs. which will be found below;] and is used absolutely in negative phrases; [as will also be seen in exs. below;] whereas وَاحِدٌ is used in affirmative phrases as a prefixed noun and otherwise: the fem. اـِحْدَى, also, is only used as a prefixed noun, except in numbers (Msb) [and in one other instance, which see below]. Using أَحَدٌ and its fem. in affirmative phrases as prefixed nouns, you say, قَامَ أَحَدُ الثَّلَاثَةِ [ One of the three stood ]; and قَالَتْ اـِحْدَا هُمَا [ One of them two (females) said ]; and خُذْ اـِحْدَى الثَّلَاثَةِ [ Take thou one of the three ]. (TA.) The phrase اـِحْدَى بَنَاتِ طَبَقٍ means A calamity: (K:) or, as some say, (TA, but in the K “ and, ”) a serpent; (K, TA;) so called because it twists itself round so as to become like a طَبَق. (TA.) And the phrase اـِحْدَى الاـِحَدِ, (L, K, TA,) in which the latter word has kesr to the اـ and fet-h to the ح, and is pl. of the former, also written الأُحَدِ, but this form is disapproved by MF, as has been shown above, (TA, [in several copies of the K incorrectly written الأَحَدِ,]) [lit. means One of the ones; and] is applied to a great, or mighty, event; (L, K, TA;) one that is difficult, distressing, grievous, or terrible. (L, TA.) You say, أَتَى بِاـِحْدَى الاـِحَدِ [the last of which words is here again written in several copies of the K الأَحَدِ] He brought to pass a grievous, and great, or mighty, event, (K, TA,) when you desire to express the greatness and terribleness of an event. (TA.) You also say, فُلَانُ أَحَدُ الأَحَدِينَ, and وَاحِدُ الأَحَدِينَ, (K, TA,) the latter in one copy of the K written وَاحِدُ الوَاحِدِينَ, in which the latter word is pl. of the former, (TA,) and وَاحِدُ الاآحَادِ, and اـِحْدَى الاـِحَدِ, (K, TA,) like a phrase before mentioned, only the former is applied to a calamity, and this to an intelligent being, and written in the two manners before mentioned, the difference being only in application, (TA, [in several copies of the K here again written اـِحْدَى الأَحَدِ, and in the CK اَحَدِىُّ الاَحَدِ,]) and اـِحْدَى الأَحَدِينَ, (Et-Tes-heel,) and اـِحْدَى الاآحَادِ, (TA,) which are expressions of the utmost praise, (IAar, A Heyth, K,) [lit. Such a man is one of the ones; meaning] such a one is unique among the uniques; (TA;) one who has no equal; unequalled; incomparable. (IAar, Tes-heel.) It seems that the form of pl. used in the phrase أَحَدُ الأَحَدِينَ is used only as applied to rational beings; but it is said in the Expositions of the Tes-heel that this phrase signifies One of the calamities; the form of the rational pl. being given to nouns significant of things deemed great, mighty, or grievous. (AHeyth.) In the phrase اـِحْدَى الاـِحَدِ, the fem. forms are said to be used for the purpose of giving intensiveness to the signification, as though the meaning were دَاهِيَةُ [...]