منذ

مُنْدُ ذ is a simple word; (K;) or, accord. to some, a compound word, as will be explained hereáfter: (TA:) Sb says, that it is with respect to time like مِنْ with respect to place: (S, L:) it is indecl., [generally] with damm for its termination; and مُذْ is indecl. also, [generally] with its final letter quiescent, (S, L, K,) [unless followed by a quiescent letter, when it is movent in different manners which will be shown below,] and it is formed from مُنْذُ by elision: (M, L, K:) منذ is also written and pronounced مِنْذُ, (M, L, K,) in the dial. of the Benoo-Suleym; (M, L;) and مذ, مِذْ, (M, L, K,) in the dial. of the tribe of 'Okl. (M, L.) Each may be a prep., governing what follows it in the gen. case, and used in the same manner as فِى [signifying In, or during, or from the beginning of ]: and in this case, each is prefixed only to that which denotes present time: thus you say, مَا رَأَيْتُهُ مُذُ اللَّيْلَةِ [ I have not seen him in this night; or simply I have not seen him this night ]: (S, L:) or each is followed by a noun in the gen. case, and in this instance is a prep., in the sense of مِنْ [meaning Since, or lit., from, ] when relating to a past time [such as a particular past day or the like]; and in the sense of فِى [meaning In, or from the beginning of, ] when relating to the present time; and in the sense of مِنْ and اـِلَى together [meaning From the beginning to the end of; or during the whole course of; or simply during, or for; ] when relating to a computed period of time, or number of days or the like: ex. [relating to a past time,] مَا رَأَيْتُهُ مُنْذُ يَوْمِ الخَمِيسِ [ I have not seen him since Thursday, اـِلَى ا@لْاآنَ to the present time ]; (Mughnee, K;) and [relating to the present time,] مُنْذُ يَوْمِنَا or عَامِنَا [ in, or from the beginning of, ( this ) our day, or ( this ) our year; ]; and, [relating to a computed period of time, or number of days or the like,] مُنْذُ ثَلَاثَةِ أَيَّامٍ [ from the beginning to the end of, i. e., during, or for, three days ]. (Mughnee.) Each may also be a noun, governing the noun which follows it in the nom. case, as signifying a particular day or the like, or as signifying a definite length of time: in the case of a noun signifying a particular day or the like, you say, مَا رَأَيْتُهُ مُذْ يَوْمُ الجُمْعَةِ [ I have not seen him (since the commencement of a space of time); the commencement of the space of time thereof (i. e., أَوَّلُ مُدَّةِ عَدَمِ رُؤْيَتِى اـِيَّاهُ the commencement of the space of time of my not seeing him ) was Friday; meaning, since Friday ]: and, in the case of a noun signifying a definite length of time, you say, مَا رَأَيْتُهُ مُذْ سَنَةٌ, meaning, أَمَدُ ذٰلِكَ سَنَةٌ, [ I have not seen him (during, or for, a time); the time thereof (i. e., أَمَدُ عَدَمِ رُؤْيَتِى اـِيَّاهُ the time of my not seeing him ) is a year; meaning, during, or for, a year; ] and the noun in this latter case can only be indeterminate; for you cannot say, مُذْ سَنَةُ كَذَا: (S:) when followed by a noun in the nom. case, as in the instance of مُنْذُ يَوْمَانِ [or, accord. to more approved usage, مُذْ يَوْمَانِ, as will be shown below, The time is two days, meaning during, or for, two days ], each is an inchoative, and what follows it is an enunciative; and its meaning is the time with respect to what is present, and to a computed period, or a number of days or the like; and the commencement of the space of time with respect to a past time [such as a particular past day or the like]: or each is an adv. n. [of time], an enunciative, of which what follows is the inchoative, and meaning بَيْنَ وَبَيْنَ, as in the instance of لَقِيتُهُ مُنْذُ يَوْمَانِ, [or, rather, مُذْ يَوْمَانِ,] i. e., بَيْنِى وَبَيْنَ لِقَائِهِ يَوْمَانِ [ Two days have been between the time in which I now am and (the time of) my meeting him ]: (K:) but this opinion is rejected by Ibn-Hájib. (TA.) Accord. to some of the Arabs, for they differ on this point, مذ governs in the gen. case a noun signifying a past time and one signifying a time not past: and accord. to some of them, منذ governs in the nom. case a noun signifying a past time and one signifying a time not past: (M, L:) but the general and most approved way is to make مذ govern in the gen. case a noun signifying a time not past, and in the nom. case one signifying a time past; and to make منذ govern in the gen. case a noun signifying a time not past and one signifying a time past: (T, M, L:) most of the Arabs hold, that each must govern in the gen. case a noun signifying the present time; and that it is preferable to make منذ govern in the same case, and to make مذ govern in the nom. case, a noun signifying a past time: (Mughnee:) [they therefore say, مُنْذُ اللَّيْلَةِ and مُذُ اللَّيْلَةِ, and مُنْذُ يَوْمِ الخَمِيسِ and مُنْذُ يَوْمَينِ; but they say, مُذْ يَوْمُ الخَمِيسِ and مُذْ يَوْمَانِ.] Some [or, rather, most] say, لَمْ أَرَهُ مُذْ يَوْمَانِ, and لَمْ أَرَهُ مُنْذُ يَوْمَينِ, [ I have not seen him for, or during, two days; ] making مذ [in these instances] to govern the nom. case; and منذ, the gen. case. (L.) Such is said when the period of separation is a day and part of a day. (Msb, art. شهر.) The Benoo-Dabbeh and Er-Rabáb make مذ to govern the gen. case in every instance. (M, L.) The phrases, مَا رَأَيْتُهُ مُذْ عَامٌ أَوَّلُ, and مُذْ عَامٌ أَوَّلَ, (S, K, art. وأل; and L,) and مُذْ عَامُ الأَوَّلِ, and مُذْ عَامًا أَوَّلَ, [ I have not seen him since last year, ] are also mentioned by different authors. (L.) The Arabs generally agree in pronouncing منذ with damm to the ذ when it is followed by a movent or a quiescent letter; (T, M, L;) as in لَمْ أَرَهُ مُنْذُ يَوْمٍ, and مُنْذُ اليَوْمِ: (T, L:) and to pronounce مذ with the ذ quiescent when it is followed by a movent letter, (T, M, L,) and with damm and [sometimes] with kesr when it is followed by a conjunctive ا; (M, L;) as in لَمْ أَرَهُ مُذْ يَوْمَانِ, and لَمْ أَرَهُ مُذُ اليَوْمِ, [and مُذِ اليَوْمِ]: (T, L:) and so say most [...]