عوز

عَوَزٌ ذ inf. n. of عَوِزَ [q. v.] (S, O, Msb.) ― -b2- [As a simple subst.,] Want; need; exigency; (A, O, K;) in which sense مَعَاوِزُ may be an irreg. pl. thereof similar to مَلَامِحُ and مَشَابِهُ: (Har p. 26:) destitution: (TA:) poverty: (A:) evilness of condition: (TA:) littleness, or scarceness, or scantiness, of a thing, to a person, or in his estimation, and its needfulness to him: (Lth, * Mgh, TA: *) straitness, or difficulty, of a thing. (TA.) You say, أَصَابَهُ عَوَزٌ Want, and poverty, befell him. (A.) And hence the saying, سِدَادٌ مِنْ عَوَزٍ, (A, Mgh, TA,) a well-known prov., expl. in art. سد. (TA.)