او

أَوْ ذ a conjunction, (M, Mughnee, K,) to which the later authors have ascribed meanings amounting to twelve: (Mughnee:) a particle which, when occurring in an enunciative phrase, [generally] denotes doubt, and vagueness of meaning; and when occurring in an imperative or a prohibitive phrase, [generally] denotes the giving of option, or choice, and the allowing a thing, or making it allowable. (S.) ― -b2- First, (Mughnee,) it denotes doubt. (T, S, M, Msb, Mughnee, K.) So in the saying, رَأَيْتُ زَيْدًا أَوْ عَمْرًا [ I saw Zeyd or 'Amr ]. (T, * S, Msb.) And جَاآنِى رَجُلٌ أَوِ ا@مْرَأَةٌ [ A man or a woman came to me ]. (Mbr, T.) And لَبِئْنَا يَوْمًا أَوْ بَعْضَ يَوْمٍ [in the Kur xviii. 18 and xxiii. 115, We have remained a day or part of a day ]. (Mughnee.) ― -b3- Secondly, (Mughnee,) it denotes vagueness of meaning. (S, Msb, Mughnee, K.) S [it may be used] in the first of the .exs. given above. (Msb.) And so in the saying, وَأَنَّا أَوْ اـِيَّاكُمْ لَعَلَى هُدًي أَوْ فِى ضَلَالٍ مُبِينٍ [ And verily we or ye are following a right direction or in manifest error ], (S, Mughnee,) in the Kur [xxxiv. 23]; (S;) the ex. being in the former او. (Mughnee.) ― -b4- Thirdly, (Mughnee,) it denotes the giving of option, or choice. (T, S, M, Mughnee, K.) So in the saying, كُلِ السَّمَكَ أَوِ ا@شْرَبِ اللَّبَنَ [ Eat thou the fish, or drink thou the milk ]; i. e. do not thou both of these actions; (Mbr, T, S;) but choose which of them thou wilt. (Mbr, T.) And تَزَوَّجْ هِنْدًا أَوْ أُخْتَهَا [ Take thou as wife Hind or her sister ]. (Mughnee.) And [in like manner] it denotes the making choice. (T.) [So when you say, سَأَتَزَوَّجُ هِنْدًا أَوْ أُخْتَهَا, meaning I will take as wife Hind or her sister; whichever of them I choose.] ― -b5- Fourthly, (Mughnee,) it denotes the allowing a thing, or making it allowable. (T, S, Msb, Mughnee, K.) So in the saying, جَالِسِ حَسَنَ أَوِ ا@بْنَ سِيرِينَ [ Sit thou with El- Hasan or Ibn-Seereen ]. (Mbr, T, S.) And قُمْ أَوِ ا@قْعُدْ [ Stand thou or sit ]: and the person to whom this is said may do [one or] both of the se actions. (Msb.) [And similar exs. are given in the Mughnee.]) But وَلَا تُطِعْ مِنْهُمْ اآثِمًا أَو كَفُورًا [in the Kur lxxvi. 24, And obey not thou, of them, a sinner or a person very ungrateful to God, ] means that thou shalt not obey either of such persons: (Mbr, T, Mughnee:) in which case او is more forcible than وَ; for when you say to a person, لَا تُطِعْ زَيْدًا وَعَمْرًا [ Obey not thou Zeyd and 'Amr ], he may obey one of them, since the command is that he shall not obey the two. (Zj, T.) ― -b6- Fifthly, (Mughnee,) it denotes unrestricted conjunction. (Mughnee, K.) So in the saying, in the Kur [iv. 46 and v. 9], أَوْ جَاآءَ أَحَدٌ مِنْكُمْ مِنَ الغَائِطِ [ And if any one of you cometh from the privy ]; (TA;) [where, however, it may also be rendered or, though] meaning وَجَاآءَ; (T, TA;) the و in this explanation being what is termed a denotative of state. (T.) So, too, accord. to AZ, in the expression أَوْ يَزِيدُونَ [ And they exceeded that number], in the Kur [xxxvii. 147]: but see below. (TA.) And so in the words, أَوْ أَنْ نَفْعَلَ فِى أَمْوَالِنَا مَا نَشَاآءُ [ And our doing, in respect of our possessions, what we will ], in the Kur [xi. 89]. (T, TA.) ― -b7- Sixthly, it denotes transition, (Mughnee,) used in the sense of [the adversative particle] بَلْ, (T, S, M, Mughnee, K,) in a case of amplification of speech; (S;) accord. to Sb, on two conditions; that it shall be preceded by a negation or a prohibition, and that the agent shall be mentioned a second time; as in مَا قَامَ زَيْدٌ أَوْ مَا قَامَ عَمْرٌو [ Zeyd did not stand: nay, rather 'Amr did not stand ]; and لَا يَقْمٌ زَيدٌ أَوْ لَا يَقُمْ عَمْرُو [ Let not Zeyd stand: nay, rather let not 'Amr stand ]. (Mughnee.) Accord. to Fr, (Th, M, Mughnee,) it has this meaning in أَوْ يَزِيدُونَ [ Nay, rather they exceeded that number], (Th, S, M, Mughnee,) in the Kur [xxxvii. 147, cited above]: (S:) or the meaning is, or they would exceed [that number] in your estimation: or these words with those preceding them in the same verse mean, we sent him to a multitude of whom, if ye saw them, ye would say, They are a hundred thousand, or they exceed [that number]; (M, Mughnee; *) so that it denotes doubt on the part of men, not of God, for He is not subject to doubt: (M:) or we sent him to a hundred thousand in the estimation of men, or they exceeded [that number] in the estimation of men; for God does not doubt: (S:) or او is here used to denote vagueness of meaning: (IB, Mughnee:) or, it is said, to denote that a person might choose between saying, “they are a hundred thousand,“ and saying, “they are more;“ but this may not be when one of the two things is the fact: or, accord. to some of the Koofees, it has the meaning of وَ: and each of these meanings, except the last, has been assigned to او as occurring in the Kur ii. 69 and xvi. 79. (Mughnee.) ― -b8- Seventhly, it denotes division; (Mughnee, K; *) as in the saying, الكَلِمَةُ ا@سْمٌ أَوْ فِعْلٌ أَوْ حَرْفٌ [ The word is a noun or a verb or a particle ]: so said Ibn-Málik: or, as he afterwards said, in preference, it denotes separation (التَّفرِيق) divested of the attribute of denoting doubt and vagueness of meaning and the giving of option or choice; adducing as one of his exs. of this meaning the saying, وَقَالُوا كُونُوا هُودًا أَوْ نَصَارَى [in the Kur ii. 129, And they said, “Be ye Jews” or “Christians” ]; because the use of و in division is better; as when you say, الكَلِمَةُ ا@سْمٌ وَفِعْلٌ وَحَرْفٌ: or it denotes, accord. to some, distinction (التَّفْصِيل); and the meaning of the ex. last cited, say they, is, and the Jews said, “Be ye Jews,” and the Christians said, “Be ye Christians.” (Mughnee.) It is [said to be] used in this last sense (that of التفضيل) in the saying, كُنْتُ اآكُلُ اللَّحْمَ أَوِ العَسَلَ [ I used to eat flesh-meat or honey ]; i. e. I used to eat flesh-meat one time and honey another time: and so in the Kur [...]