علم

مَعْلَمٌ ذ i. q. مَظِنَّةٌ; مَعْلَمُ الشَّىْءِ signifying مَظِنَّتُهُ; (K, TA;) as meaning The place in which is known the existence of the thing: (Msb in art. ظن:) pl. مَعَالِمُ; (TA;) which is the contr. of مَجَاهِلُ, pl. of مَجْهَلٌ [q. v.] as applied to a land; meaning in which are signs of the way. (TA in art. جهل.) And hence, [ A person in whom is known the existence of a quality &c.:] one says, هُوَ مَعْلَمٌ لِلْخَيْرِ [ He is one in whom good, or goodness, is known to be ]. (TA.) ― -b2- Also A thing, (K,) or a mark, trace, or track, (S, TA,) by which one guides himself, or is guided, (S, K, TA,) to the road, or way; (S, TA;) as also ↓ عُلَّامَةٌ and ↓ عَلْمٌ: (K: [in several copies of which, in all as far as I know, وَالعَلْمُ is here put in the place of والعَلْمِ; whereby العَلْمُ is made to be syn. with العَالَمُ: but accord. to SM, it is syn. with المَعْلَمُ, as is shown by what here follows:]) and hence a reading in the Kur [xliii. 61], ↓ وَاـِنَّهُ لَعَلْمٌ لِلسَّاعَةِ, meaning And verily he, i. e. Jesus, by his appearing, and descending to the earth, shall be a sign of the approach of the hour [of resurrection]: it is also said, in a trad., that on the day of resurrection there shall not be a مَعْلَم for any one: and the pl. is مَعَالِمُ. (TA.) And مَعْلَمُ الطِّرِيقِ signifies The indication, or indicator, of the road, or way. (TA.) ― -b3- [And hence it signifies likewise An indication, or a symptom, of anything; like عَلَامَةٌ.] ― -b4- See also عَلَمٌ, last quarter.