غسق

الغَاسِقُ ذ signifies The night; (Zj, TA;) and [hence] وَمِنْ شَرِّ غَاسِقٍ اـِذَا وَقَبَ (in the Kur [cxiii. 3], S, O) means [ And from the mischief ] of the night when it cometh in; (S, O, K;) accord. to El-Hasan (S, O) El-Basree: (O:) or the beginning of the night; as El-Hasan is related to have said: (TA:) or the night when the شَفَق [or redness in the horizon after sunset ] disappears: (S, O, K:) and the night is said to be so called because it is colder than the day: (O, TA:) [for] الغَاسِقُ signifies [also] the cold (البَارِدُ) [like الغَسَاقُ] (TA:) or what is meant in the verse of the Kur-án cited above is the accident in the night: (Er-Rághib, TA:) or الغَاسِقُ signifies the moon; (K;) and this is said to be meant in the verse of the Kur-án; (S, TA;) so the Prophet is related to have said to Áïsheh; i. e. the verse means, [ the mischief of ] the moon when it is eclipsed: (Th, O, * TA:) or what is meant in that verse is, الثُّرَيَّا [i. e. the asterism called the Pleiades ] when it sets [ aurorally (see ثُرَيَّا)], because diseases and pestilences are frequent at that period. (O, K, TA,) and become removed at that period of its [auroral] rising [in the opposite season of the year], (O, TA,) as is related in a trad. (TA:) or the sun when it sets: or the day when it enters upon the night. or the serpent called الأَسْوَد when it smites, or turns over: or, accord. to Sub. Iblees when he suggests evil: (TA:) or, accord. to I'Ab and several others, from the mischief of the ذَكَر when it becomes erect; (K, TA:) a strange explanation: and ↓ الغَسَّاقُ is like الغَاسِقُ; [but in what sense or senses is not said;] each is an epithet in which the quality of a subst. is predominant. (TA.) ― -b2- غَاسِقٌ also signifies Flowing; applied by a poet in this sense to a source, or spring; and having to relation to darkness. (Sh. TA.)