نوح

Root entry · 24 derived lemmas

The root نوح (n-w-ḥ) primarily relates to the act of lamenting, wailing, and mourning, often associated with women gathering for funerals. It extends to metaphorical uses like the cooing of a dove or the howling of a wolf, and also signifies opposition or facing each other, like mountains or winds. The root also includes the proper name of the Prophet Noah.

Derived headwords

نَاحَverb

1.
to wail, lamentboth
To cry out loudly and mournfully, especially for the dead.

نَوْحnoun

1.
wailing, lamentationboth
The act or sound of wailing or lamenting, a dirge.
2.
mourning womenclassical
A group of women who gather to wail and mourn, especially at a funeral.

نِيَاحَةnoun

1.
wailing, lamentationboth
The act or sound of wailing, a mournful cry.

نَائِحَةnoun

1.
mourning womanboth
A woman who wails or laments, especially one hired to mourn at a funeral.
2.
dove's cooingclassical
The sound a dove makes, likened to lamentation.

نَوَّاحَةnoun

1.
mourning womanclassical
A woman who wails excessively or is known for her lamentation.

مَنَاحَةnoun

1.
funeral lamentationboth
A gathering for wailing and mourning, a funeral wake.

مَنَائِحnoun

1.
funeral lamentationsclassical
Plural of مناحة, referring to multiple mourning gatherings.

مَنَاوِحnoun

1.
mourning gatheringsclassical
Plural of مناحة, referring to places or occasions of mourning.

نَوَائِحnoun

1.
mourning womenboth
A collective term for women who wail at funerals.
2.
opposing windsclassical
Winds that blow against each other.

أَنْوَاحnoun

1.
wailingsclassical
Plural of نوح, referring to multiple instances of lamentation.
2.
mourning womenclassical
Plural of نوح, referring to groups of mourning women.

نَائِحَاتnoun

1.
mourning womenboth
Plural of نائحة, women who wail.

أَنْوَاحَاتnoun

1.
mourning womenclassical
Plural of نوح, referring to groups of mourning women.

نَاحَتْverb

1.
she wailedboth
Past tense verb indicating a female's act of wailing.

اسْتَنَاحَverb

1.
to wail until others weepclassical
To wail to the extent that one causes others to weep.
2.
to howl (wolf)classical
The sound a wolf makes when calling to other wolves.

تَنَاوَحَverb

1.
to face each otherboth
To be opposite or facing one another, like mountains or winds.
2.
to blow against each other (winds)classical
When winds meet and blow against each other.

مُتَنَاوِحadjective

1.
facing each otherboth
Describing things that are opposite or facing one another.
2.
opposing (winds)classical
Winds that blow from different directions and meet.

نُوحَةnoun

1.
strengthclassical
Power or vigor.

نِيحَةnoun

1.
strengthclassical
Power or vigor, similar to نوحة.

تَنَوَّحَverb

1.
to sway, moveclassical
To move or sway while hanging or dangling.

نُوحname

1.
Noahboth
The name of the Prophet Noah.

نَائِحَةnoun

1.
mourning doveclassical
A dove that coos, likened to lamentation.

نَوَّاحَةnoun

1.
mourning doveclassical
A dove that coos mournfully.

نَوَائِحnoun

1.
bannersclassical
Banners or standards, possibly in a military context.
2.
swordsclassical
Swords, in a metaphorical sense.

مُتَنَاوِحَةadjective

1.
opposing (winds)classical
Winds that blow from various directions, not from a single point.

Parallel reading

النوح: مصدر ناح ينوح نوحا.

Al-nawḥ: the masdar of nāḥa y نوح n-w-ḥ-an.

ويقال: نائحة ذات نياحة.

And it is said: a wailing woman possessing lamentation.

والمناحة: الاسم ويجمع على المناحات والمناوح.

And al-manāḥah: the noun, and it is pluralized as al-manāḥāt and al-manāwiḥ.

والنوائح: اسم يقع على النساء يجتمعن في مناحة ويجمع على الأنواح؛

And al-nawā'iḥ: a noun referring to women who gather for a mourning, and it is pluralized as al-anwāḥ;

قوما تنوحان مع الأنواح

Two people wailing with the mourners

ويقال: كنا في مناحة فلان.

And it is said: 'We were at so-and-so's mourning.'

ناحت المرأة تنوح نوحا ونواحا ونياحا ونياحة ومناحة وناحت عليه.

The woman wailed, lamenting with n-w-ḥ-an, n-w-āḥ-an, n-y-āḥ-an, n-y-āḥ-ah, m-n-āḥ-ah, and wailed over him.

والمناحة والنوح: النساء يجتمعن للحزن؛

And al-manāḥah and al-nawḥ: women gathering for grief;

فهن عكوف كنوح الكريم،

So they are devoted like the lamentation of the noble,

سمعن بموته، فظهرن نوحا قياما، ما يحل لهن عود

They heard of his death, so they appeared wailing, standing, not permitted to return.

جمع النوح أنواح؛

The plural of al-nawḥ is al-anwāḥ;

كأن مصفحات في ذراه، وأنواحا عليهن المآلي

As if armored ones were on its summit, and lamentations upon them were the eulogies.

نوح الحمامة: ما تبديه من سجعها على شكل النوح، والفعل كالفعل؛

The cooing of the dove: what it expresses in its song in the form of lamentation, and the verb is like the verb.

فوالله لا ألقى ابن عم كأنه نشيبة، ما دام الحمام ينوح

By God, I will not meet a cousin who is like a wound, as long as the dove coos.

حمامة نائحة ونواحة.

A mourning dove and a cooing dove.

واستناح الرجل: بكى حتى استبكى غيره؛

And the man sought lamentation: he cried until he made others cry;

وما أنا ممن يستنيح بشجوه،

And I am not one who seeks lamentation for his sorrow,

واستناح الذئب: عوى فأدنت له الذئاب؛

And the wolf sought lamentation: it howled and the wolves drew near to it;

والتناوح: التقابل؛

And al-tanāwuḥ: facing each other;

تناوح الجبلين وتناوح الرياح،

The facing of two mountains and the facing of winds,

ومننه سميت النساء النوائح نوائح، لأن بعضهن يقابل بعضا إذا نحن،

And from this, the mourning women were named nawā'iḥ, because some of them face others when they wail,

وكذلك الرياح إذا تقابلت في المهب لأن بعضها يناوح بعضا ويناسج،

And likewise the winds when they meet in their blowing because some of them face others and weave,

فكل ريح استطالت أثرا فهبت عليه ريح طولا فهي نيحته، فإن اعترضته فهي نسيجته؛

So any wind that extends a trace and a wind blows along it, it is its nīḥah, and if it crosses it, it is its nasījah;

لقد صبرت حنيفة صبر قوم كرام، تحت أظلال النواحي

Hanifa has shown the patience of noble people, under the shades of the opposing ones.

أراد النوائح فقلب وعنى بها الرايات المتقابلة في الحروب،

He intended al-nawā'iḥ, so he inverted it and meant by it the opposing banners in wars,

والرياح إذا اشتد هبوبها يقال: تناوحت؛

And when the winds blow strongly, it is said: they faced each other;

ويكللون، إذا الرياح تناوحت، خلجا تمد شوارعا أيتامها

And they crown, when the winds face each other, a path extending its orphans.

والرياح النكب في الشتاء: هي المتناوحة، وذلك أنها لا تهب من جهة واحدة، ولكنها تهب من جهات مختلفة، سميت متناوحة لمقابلة بعضها بعضا،

And the oblique winds in winter: they are the opposing ones, because they do not blow from one direction, but they blow from different directions, they are named متناوحة because they face each other,

هما جبلان يتناوحان وشجرتان تتناوحان إذا كانتا متقابلتين؛

They are two mountains facing each other and two trees facing each other if they are opposite;

شربها متناوح

its drinking is facing each other.

والنوحة: القوة، وهي النيحة أيضا.

And al-nūḥah: strength, and it is also al-nīḥah.

وتنوح الشيء تنوحا إذا تحرك وهو متدل.

And a thing sways with t-n-w-ḥ-an if it moves while it is dangling.

نوح: اسم نبي معروف ينصرف مع العجمة والتعريف،

Nūḥ: the name of a known prophet, it is declined with foreignness and definiteness,

لقد قلت القول العظيم يوم القيامة في الخليفة من بعد نوح ؛

I have spoken the great saying on the Day of Resurrection concerning the Caliph after Noah;

وشبه عمر، رضي الله عنه، بنوح حين قال: رب لا تذر على الأرض من الكافرين ديارا؛

And he likened Umar, may God be pleased with him, to Noah when he said: 'My Lord, leave not upon the earth any of the disbelievers dwelling.'

أراد بنوح عمر، رضي الله عنه، وذلك لأن النبي، صلى الله عليه وسلم، استشار أبا بكر وعمر، رضي الله عنهما، في أسارى بدر فأشار عليه أبو بكر، رضي الله عنه، بالمن عليهم، وأشار عليه عمر، رضي الله عنه، بقتلهم، فأقبل النبي، صلى الله عليه وسلم، على أبي بكر، رضي الله عنه، وقال: إن إبراهيم كان ألين في الله من الدهن اللين، وأقبل على عمر، رضي الله عنه، وقال: إن نوحا كان أشد في الله من الحجر؛

He meant by Noah, Umar, may God be pleased with him, and that is because the Prophet, peace be upon him, consulted Abu Bakr and Umar, may God be pleased with them, regarding the captives of Badr. Abu Bakr, may God be pleased with him, advised to show them favor, and Umar, may God be pleased with him, advised to kill them. So the Prophet, peace be upon him, turned to Abu Bakr, may God be pleased with him, and said: 'Indeed, Abraham was softer in God than soft fat,' and turned to Umar, may God be pleased with him, and said: 'Indeed, Noah was harder in God than stone;'

وشبه أبا بكر بإبراهيم حين قال: فمن تبعني فإنه مني ومن عصاني فإنك غفور رحيم،

And he likened Abu Bakr to Abraham when he said: 'So whoever follows me, then he is of me, and whoever disobeys me, then indeed You are Forgiving and Merciful,'

وأراد ابن سلام أن عثمان، رضي الله عنه، خليفة عمر الذي شبه بنوح،

And Ibn Sallam meant that Uthman, may God be pleased with him, is the Caliph of Umar who was likened to Noah,

وأراد بيوم القيامة يوم الجمعة لأن ذلك القول كان فيه.

And he meant by the Day of Resurrection the day of Friday because that saying occurred on it.

أنه رأى رجلا يظلم رجلا يوم الجمعة، فقال: ويحك تظلم رجلا يوم القيامة، والقيامة تقوم يوم الجمعة؟

That he saw a man wronging a man on Friday, so he said: 'Woe to you, do you wrong a man on the Day of Resurrection, and the Resurrection occurs on Friday?'

وقيل: أراد أن هذا القول جزاؤه عظيم يوم القيامة.

And it was said: He meant that the recompense for this saying is great on the Day of Resurrection.