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دنء

Root entry · 20 derived lemmas

This root primarily concerns concepts of baseness, meanness, lowliness, and moral corruption. It extends to physical descriptions like being hunchbacked and also to proximity or closeness, though this latter sense is distinguished from the primary meaning of moral degradation.

Derived headwords

الدَّنِيءadjective
  1. 1.
    Base, mean, vileboth

    Describing a man as base, mean, vile, wicked in his private parts, or dissolute.

  2. 2.
    Humble, insignificantclassical

    Also said to mean insignificant or contemptible.

أَدْنَآءnoun
  1. 1.
    Base peopleboth

    Plural of 'dani' (base, mean).

دَنَأَverb
  1. 1.
    To be base, wickedboth

    To be wicked, base, and lacking in good qualities.

  2. 2.
    To act baselyboth

    To engage in base actions or become dissolute.

دَنَاءَةnoun
  1. 1.
    Baseness, meannessboth

    The state of being base, mean, wicked, or dissolute. This is the masdar (verbal noun) for 'dana' when referring to moral corruption.

دَنُؤَverb
  1. 1.
    To be base, wickedboth

    To become base, lacking in good, and debased in action or dissolute.

دُنُوءَةnoun
  1. 1.
    Baseness, debasementclassical

    A masdar (verbal noun) for 'danu', signifying becoming base, lacking good, and debased in action or dissolute.

أَدْنَأَverb
  1. 1.
    To undertake something baseclassical

    To engage in or undertake a base or ignoble matter.

الدَّنَأnoun
  1. 1.
    Humpclassical

    Refers to a hump on the back.

الأَدْنَأadjective
  1. 1.
    Hunchbackedclassical

    Describing someone who is hunchbacked.

دَنِئَverb
  1. 1.
    To be base, wickedboth

    To be base, wicked, and lacking in good qualities.

الدَّنِيئَةnoun
  1. 1.
    Defect, flawclassical

    A defect, flaw, or blemish.

تَدَنَّأَverb
  1. 1.
    To act basely, be dissoluteclassical

    To become debased in one's actions and dissolute.

أَدْنَىadjective
  1. 1.
    Lower, nearerboth

    Comparative form meaning 'lower' or 'nearer'. In the context of the Quranic verse, it is interpreted by some as referring to baseness, and by others as proximity or lesser value.

دَنِيّadjective
  1. 1.
    Base, meanboth

    Describing someone as base, mean, weak, incompetent, and falling short in all endeavors. This form is often not hamzated.

المُدَنَّىadjective
  1. 1.
    Base, debasedclassical

    Describing someone as base or debased.

دَنَاوَةnoun
  1. 1.
    Closeness, proximityclassical

    A masdar (verbal noun) for 'duna' (to be close), distinguished from 'dina' (baseness).

دَانِئadjective
  1. 1.
    Wicked, baseboth

    Describing someone as wicked, base, and corrupt in his private parts or dissolute.

أَجْنَأadjective
  1. 1.
    Hunchbackedclassical

    Synonymous with 'adna'' and 'aq'as', meaning hunchbacked.

دَنَاverb
  1. 1.
    To be close, nearboth

    To be close or near in proximity. This is distinguished from the root 'dnw' which relates to baseness.

دُنُوّnoun
  1. 1.
    Closeness, proximityclassical

    The masdar (verbal noun) for 'dunu' (to be close).

Parallel reading

الدَّنِيءُ، مِنَ الرِّجَالِ: الخَسِيسُ، الدُّونُ، الخَبِيثُ البَطْنَ وَالفَرْجَ، المَاجِنُ.
The base man: the ignoble, the lowly, the one wicked in his belly and private parts, the dissolute.
وَقَدْ دَنَأَ يَدْنَأُ دَنَاءَةً فَهُوَ دَانِئٌ: خَبُثَ.
And he became base, he becomes base with baseness, so he is base: he became wicked.
وَدَنُؤَ دَنَاءَةً وَدُنُوؤَةً: صَارَ دَنِيئًا لَا خَيْرَ فِيهِ، وَسَفُلَ فِي فِعْلِهِ، وَمَجَنَ.
And he became base with baseness and debasement: he became base, having no good in him, debased in his action, and dissolute.
وَأَدْنَأَ: رَكِبَ أَمْرًا دَنِيئًا.
And he undertook: he engaged in a base matter.
وَالدَّنَأُ: الحَدَبُ.
And the hump: the hunchback.
وَالأَدْنَأُ: الأَحَدَبُ.
And the hunchbacked: the hunchbacked.
وَإِنَّهُ لَدَانِئٌ: خَبِيثٌ.
And indeed he is base: wicked.
وَرَجُلٌ أَدْنَأُ: أَجْنَأُ الظَّهْرِ.
And a man is hunchbacked: hunchbacked in the back.
وَلَقَدْ دَنِئَ دَنَأً.
And indeed he became base with baseness.
وَالدَّنِيئَةُ: النَّقِيصَةُ.
And the defect: the flaw.
وَيُقَالُ: مَا كُنْتُ يَا فُلَانُ دَنِيئًا، وَلَقَدْ دَنُؤْتَ تَدَنَّؤُ دَنَاءَةً، مَصْدَرُهُ مَهْمُوزٌ.
And it is said: 'You were not, O so-and-so, base, and indeed you became base, you become base with baseness', its masdar is hamzated.
وَيُقَالُ: مَا يَزْدَادُ مِنَّا إِلَّا قُرْبًا وَدَنَاوَةً، فَرِّقْ بَيْنَ مَصْدَرِ دَنَأَ وَمَصْدَرِ دَنَا بِجَعْلِ مَصْدَرِ دَنَا دَنَاوَةً وَمَصْدَرِ دَنَأَ دَنَاءَةً كَمَا تَرَى.
And it is said: 'He only increases in closeness and proximity to us', differentiate between the masdar of 'dana' and the masdar of 'duna' by making the masdar of 'duna' as 'danawah' and the masdar of 'dana' as 'danaah' as you see.
ابْنُ السِّكِّيتِ، يُقَالُ: لَقَدْ دَنَأْتَ تَدَنَّأُ أَيْ سَفُلْتَ فِي فِعْلِكَ وَمَجُنْتَ.
Ibn al-Sikkit said: It is said, 'You have become base, you act basely', meaning you have debased yourself in your action and become dissolute.
وَقَالَ اللهُ تَعَالَى: {أَتَسْتَبْدِلُونَ الَّذِي هُوَ أَدْنَى بِالَّذِي هُوَ خَيْرٌ}، قَالَ الفَرَّاءُ: هُوَ مِنَ الدَّنَاءَةِ.
And Allah the Almighty said: {Do you exchange that which is lower for that which is better?}, Al-Farra' said: It is from baseness.
وَالعَرَبُ تَقُولُ: إِنَّهُ لَدَنِيٌّ فِي الأُمُورِ، غَيْرُ مَهْمُوزٍ، يَتْبَعُ خَسَاسَهَا وَأَصَاغِرَهَا.
And the Arabs say: 'Indeed, he is base in matters', not hamzated, following its ignobleness and its lesser aspects.
وَكَانَ زُهَيْرٌ الفَرْوِيُّ يَهْمِزُ {أَتَسْتَبْدِلُونَ الَّذِي هُوَ أَدْنَأُ بِالَّذِي هُوَ خَيْرٌ}.
And Zuhayr al-Farawi used to hamzate {Do you exchange that which is baser for that which is better?}.
قَالَ الفَرَّاءُ: وَلَمْ نَرَ العَرَبَ تَهْمِزُ أَدْنَأَ إِذَا كَانَ مِنَ الخِسَّةِ، وَهُمْ فِي ذَلِكَ يَقُولُونَ: إِنَّهُ لَدَانِئٌ خَبِيثٌ، فَيَهْمِزُونَ.
Al-Farra' said: And we have not seen the Arabs hamzate 'adna'' when it refers to baseness, yet in that context they say: 'Indeed, he is base, wicked', and they hamzate it.
قَالَ: وَأَنْشَدَنِي بَعْضُ بَنِي كِلَابٍ: بَاسِلَةُ الوَقْعِ، سَرَابِيلُهَا ... بِيضٌ إِلَى دَانِئِهَا الظَّاهِرِ
He said: And some of Banu Kilab recited to me: 'Fierce in encounter, their garments ... white, down to their apparent baseness.'
وَقَالَ فِي كِتَابِ المَصَادِرِ: دَنُؤَ الرَّجُلُ يَدْنَؤُ دُنُوؤًا وَدَنَاءَةً إِذَا كَانَ مَاجِنًا.
And he said in the Book of Masdars: A man became base, he becomes base with debasement and baseness when he is dissolute.
وَقَالَ الزَّجَّاجُ: مَعْنَى قَوْلِهِ {أَتَسْتَبْدِلُونَ الَّذِي هُوَ أَدْنَى}، غَيْرُ مَهْمُوزٍ، أَيْ أَقْرَبُ، وَمَعْنَى أَقْرَبُ أَقَلُّ قِيمَةً كَمَا يُقَالُ ثَوْبٌ مُقَارِبٌ، فَأَمَّا الخَسِيسُ، فَاللُّغَةُ فِيهِ دَنُؤَ دَنَاءَةً، وَهُوَ دَنِيءٌ، بِالهَمْزِ، وَهُوَ أَدْنَأُ مِنْهُ.
And Al-Zajjaj said: The meaning of his saying {Do you exchange that which is nearer}, not hamzated, is 'closer', and the meaning of 'closer' is 'lesser in value' as one says a 'fitting' garment. As for the ignoble, the language for it is 'danu' with 'danaah', and he is 'dani'', with hamza, and he is 'adna'' than him.
قَالَ أَبُو مَنْصُورٍ: أَهْلُ اللُّغَةِ لَا يَهْمِزُونَ دَنُوٌّ فِي بَابِ الخِسَّةِ، وَإِنَّمَا يَهْمِزُونَهُ فِي بَابِ المَجُونِ وَالخُبْثِ.
Abu Mansur said: The linguists do not hamzate 'dunuw' in the context of baseness, but rather they hamzate it in the context of dissoluteness and wickedness.
وَقَالَ أَبُو زَيْدٍ فِي النَّوَادِرِ: رَجُلٌ دَنِيءٌ مِنْ قَوْمٍ أَدْنَاءَ، وَقَدْ دَنُؤَ دَنَاءَةً، وَهُوَ الخَبِيثُ البَطْنَ وَالفَرْجَ.
And Abu Zayd said in the Nawadir: A man is base from a people of the base, and he became base with baseness, and he is wicked in his belly and private parts.
وَرَجُلٌ دَنِيٌّ مِنْ قَوْمٍ أَدْنَاءَ، وَقَدْ دَنَا يَدْنَأُ وَدَنُوَّ يَدْنُو دُنُوًّا، وَهُوَ الضَّعِيفُ الخَسِيسُ الَّذِي لَا غِنَاءَ عِنْدَهُ، المُقَصِّرُ فِي كُلِّ مَا أَخَذَ فِيهِ.
And a man is base from a people of the base, and he became base, he becomes base, and he is weak, ignoble, who has no capability, falling short in everything he undertakes.
وَأَنْشَدَ: فَلَا وَأَبِيكَ، مَا خُلُقِي بِوَعْرٍ ... وَلَا أَنَا بِالدَّنِيِّ، وَلَا المُدَنَّى
And he recited: 'By your father, my disposition is not rough ... Nor am I base, nor debased.'
وَقَالَ أَبُو زَيْدٍ فِي كِتَابِ الهَمْزِ: دَنَأَ الرَّجُلُ يَدْنَأُ دَنَاءَةً وَدَنُؤَ يَدْنَؤُ دُنُوؤًا إِذَا كَانَ دَنِيئًا لَا خَيْرَ فِيهِ.
And Abu Zayd said in the Book of Hamz: A man became base, he becomes base with baseness, and he became base, he becomes base with debasement, if he is base, having no good in him.
وَقَالَ اللِّحْيَانِيُّ: رَجُلٌ دَنِيءٌ وَدَانِئٌ، وَهُوَ الخَبِيثُ البَطْنَ وَالفَرْجَ، المَاجِنُ، مِنْ قَوْمٍ أَدْنَاءَ، اللَّامُ مَهْمُوزَةٌ.
And Al-Lihyani said: A man is base and wicked, and he is wicked in his belly and private parts, the dissolute, from a people of the base, the 'lam' is hamzated.
قَالَ: وَيُقَالُ لِلْخَسِيسِ: إِنَّهُ لَدَنِيٌّ مِنْ أَدْنَاءَ، بِغَيْرِ هَمْزٍ.
He said: And it is said to the ignoble: 'Indeed, he is base' from 'adnaa', without hamza.
قَالَ الأَزْهَرِيُّ: وَالَّذِي قَالَهُ أَبُو زَيْدٍ وَاللِّحْيَانِيُّ وَابْنُ السِّكِّيتِ هُوَ الصَّحِيحُ، وَالَّذِي قَالَهُ الزَّجَّاجُ غَيْرُ مَحْفُوظٍ.
Al-Azhari said: And what Abu Zayd, Al-Lihyani, and Ibn al-Sikkit said is correct, and what Al-Zajjaj said is not preserved.