عوذ

عُوذَةٌ ذ (S, A, O, L, K) and ↓ تَعْوِيذٌ (S, O, L, K) and ↓ مَعَاذَةٌ (S, A, L, K) are syn., (S, A, O, L, K,) signifying A kind of amulet, phylactery, or charm, bearing an inscription, which is hung upon a man [ or woman or child or horse &c. ], to charm the wearer against the evil eye and against fright and diabolical possession, and which is forbidden to be hung upon the person, (L,) unless inscribed with something from the Kur-án or with the names of God, for in this case there is no harm in it: (S and Mgh voce تَمِيمَةٌ:) accord. to some of the etymologists, originally signifying an amulet, a phylactery, or a charm, upon which is [ an inscription commencing with the word ] أَعُوذُ; and afterwards applied in a general manner [as meaning any amulet ]; (MF;) i. q. رُقْيَةٌ, (K,) or تَمِيمَةٌ: (A:) or those who imagine that the ↓ مَعَاذَة is the same as the تميمة are in error; for the latter is a bead: (Mgh in art. تم:) [in some instances] the ↓ تَعْوِيذ is a thing made of silver, of a round shape like the moon, but partly hollowed out in the form of the horse-shoe, tied by a string to the neck of a child, as a preservative, and in some instances engraved with an inscription: (Har p. 49:) the pl. of عُوذَةٌ is عُوَذٌ; that of ↓ تَعْوِيذٌ is تَعَاوِيذُ; and that of ↓ مَعَاذَةٌ is مَعَاذَاتٌ. (L.)