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وصع

Root entry · 6 derived lemmas

This root primarily concerns small birds, specifically young or small sparrows or sparrow-like birds. It also extends to the sound a sparrow makes and, metaphorically, to a state of extreme humility. A less common usage relates to digging or scattering something on the ground.

Derived headwords

الوَصَعnoun
  1. 1.
    small birdboth

    The small young of sparrows, or a bird resembling a small sparrow in its small body, or even smaller than a sparrow.

  2. 2.
    humilityclassical

    Used metaphorically to describe extreme humility, as when the Throne of God is said to shrink to the size of a 'waṣaʿ' in humility.

الوَصَعُnoun
  1. 1.
    small birdboth

    Synonymous with الوصع, referring to a small bird, particularly a young sparrow.

الوَصِيعnoun
  1. 1.
    small birdboth

    A small bird, similar to a sparrow.

الوَصِيعnoun
  1. 1.
    sparrow's soundclassical

    The sound or chirping of a sparrow.

وَصَعَانnoun
  1. 1.
    small birdsboth

    The plural of وَصَع, referring to small birds.

يَصَعْنَverb
  1. 1.
    to scatterclassical

    In the context of the verse, it means to scatter or disperse pebbles on the ground.

  2. 2.
    to dig intoclassical

    An interpretation of the verb in the verse, suggesting they dig the pebbles into the ground.

Parallel reading

الصغير من العصافير
The small one of the sparrows.
الصغير من أولاد العصافير
The small one of the young of sparrows.
هو طائر كالعصفور
It is a bird like a sparrow.
يشبه العصفور الصغير في صغر جسمه
It resembles a small sparrow in the smallness of its body.
أصغر من العصفور
Smaller than a sparrow.
إن العرش على منكب إسرافيل وإنه ليتواضع لله حتى يصير مثل الوصع
Indeed, the Throne is on the shoulder of Israfil, and it humbles itself before God until it becomes like the waṣaʿ.
يروى بفتح الصاد وسكونها
It is narrated with the letter ṣād open (waṣaʿ) and with it silent (wuṣʿ).
والجمع وصعان
And the plural is waṣaʿān.
الوصيع: صوت العصفور
Al-waṣīʿ: the sound of the sparrow.
الوصع والصعو واحد كجذب وجبذ
Al-waṣaʿ and al-ṣaʿu are one, like 'jadhb' and 'jabd'.
أناخ، فنعم ما اقلولى وخوى ... على خمس يصعن حصى الجبوب
He dismounted, and what a good resting place he found and settled down... upon five that scatter pebbles of the hard ground.
يصعن الحصى يغيبنه في الأرض
They scatter the pebbles, burying them in the ground.
الصواب عندي يصعن حصى الجبوب أي يفرقنها، يعني الثفنات الخمس
The correct interpretation for me is 'yṣaʿna ḥaṣā al-jabūb', meaning they scatter them, referring to the five pads (of the camel's foot).