بكا

Root entry · 16 derived lemmas

This root primarily concerns the act of crying, encompassing both the emotional state and the physical manifestation of tears. It also extends to the sounds associated with crying and the act of causing someone to cry.

Derived headwords

البُكَاءnoun

1.
cryingboth
The act of shedding tears, often accompanied by sobbing or vocalization, stemming from sadness, grief, or pain.
2.
sound of cryingclassical
Specifically refers to the vocalizations and sounds made during the act of crying, as opposed to just the tears.
3.
tearsclassical
Refers to the tears themselves and their flow, as distinct from the sound of crying.

البكاء يقصر ويمد — Crying is shortened and lengthened (in pronunciation/meaning)

وما يغني البكاء ولا العويل — And what good is crying and wailing

بَكَىverb

1.
to cryboth
To shed tears, to weep due to sadness, grief, or pain.

بكت عيني، وحق لها بكاها — My eye wept, and it was right for it to weep

يَبْكِيverb

1.
to cryboth
Present tense of the verb 'to cry', indicating the ongoing action of weeping.

وقد بكى يبكي بكاء وبكى — And he cried, he weeps, with crying and weeping

تَبَاكَىverb

1.
to feign cryingboth
To pretend to cry or to force oneself to cry, often for show or to elicit sympathy.

فإن لم تجدوا بكاء فتباكوا — If you do not find (a reason for) crying, then pretend to cry

أَبْكَىverb

1.
to make someone cryboth
To cause someone to weep, to bring someone to tears through actions or words.

وأبكيته إذا صنعت به ما يبكيه — And I made him cry if I did to him what makes him cry

أبكيته إذا صنعت به ما يبكيه — And I made him cry if I did to him what makes him cry

بَكَّيْتُهُverb

1.
to cry over someoneboth
To weep for someone who has passed away or is absent, often with a sense of mourning or lament.

وبكيته وبكيت عليه بمعنى — And I cried over him and I cried for him, meaning the same thing

اسْتَبْكَىverb

1.
to seek to make cryclassical
To try to provoke someone into crying or to elicit tears from them.
2.
to make cryboth
Synonymous with أبكى, to cause someone to weep.

واستبكيته وأبكيته بمعنى — And I sought to make him cry and I made him cry, meaning the same thing

التَّبْكاءnoun

1.
cryingclassical
A noun referring to the act of crying, often used in a context of intensity or frequency.
2.
frequent cryingclassical
Specifically denotes excessive or repeated crying.

والتبكاء البكاء — And al-tabkā' is crying

وأقرح عيني تبكاؤه — And his frequent crying wounded my eyes

بَاكٍadjective

1.
cryingboth
An active participle describing someone or something that is crying or shedding tears.

وما قلت حتى ارفضت العين باكيا — And I did not speak until the eye flowed, crying

بُكَاةnoun

1.
weepersclassical
A plural form of 'bākī', referring to a group of people who are crying.

والجمع بكاة وبكي — And the plural is bukāh and bukī

بُكِيّnoun

1.
weepersclassical
Another plural form of 'bākī', referring to those who cry.

والجمع بكاة وبكي — And the plural is bukāh and bukī

بَكِيّadjective

1.
much cryingclassical
Intense or frequent crying.

والبكي: الكثير البكاء، على فعيل — And al-bakī: much crying, on the pattern of 'fa'īl'

بَكِيnoun

1.
plantclassical
A type of plant or tree, with 'bukāh' being its singular form.

والبكى، مقصور: نبت أو شجر، واحدته بكاة — And al-bakā (shortened): a plant or tree, its singular is bukāh

بُكَاهnoun

1.
plantclassical
The singular form of the plant known as 'al-bakā'.

واحدته بكاة — Its singular is bukāh

بَاكَيْتُهُverb

1.
to cry more than someoneclassical
To be more intense or prolonged in crying than another person.

وبكيت فلانا فبكيته إذا كنت أكثر بكاء منه — And I cried with so-and-so, and I cried more than him if I was more crying than him

بَكَّاهُverb

1.
to incite cryingclassical
To stir up or encourage someone to cry, especially for a deceased person.

وبكاه على الفقيد: هيجه للبكاء عليه ودعاه إليه — And I incited him to cry for the deceased: I provoked him to cry for him and called him to it

Parallel reading

البكاء يقصر ويمد؛ قاله الفراء وغيره، إذا مددت أردت الصوت الذي يكون مع البكاء، وإذا قصرت أردت الدموع وخروجها؛

Crying is shortened and lengthened; al-Farra' and others said this. If you lengthen it, you mean the sound that accompanies crying, and if you shorten it, you mean the tears and their flow.

قال حسان بن ثابت، وزعم ابن إسحاق أنه لعبد الله بن رواحة وأنشده أبو زيد لكعب بن مالك في أبيات: بكت عيني، وحق لها بكاها،

Hassan bin Thabit said, and Ibn Ishaq claimed it was by Abdullah bin Rawaha, and Abu Zayd recited to me from Ka'b bin Malik in verses: My eye wept, and it was right for it to weep,

وما يغني البكاء ولا العويل على أسد الإله غداة قالوا: ... أحمزة ذاكم الرجل القتيل؟

And what good is crying and wailing over the Lion of God when they said in the morning: ... Is that Hamza, the slain man?

إذا قبح البكاء على قتيل، رأيت بكاءك الحسن الجميلا

If crying over a slain person is ugly, I saw your beautiful and lovely crying.

وفي الحديث: فإن لم تجدوا بكاء فتباكوا

And in the Hadith: If you do not find (a reason for) crying, then pretend to cry.

وقد بكى يبكي بكاء وبكى؛

And he cried, he weeps, with crying and weeping.

قال الخليل: من قصره ذهب به إلى معنى الحزن، ومن مده ذهب به إلى معنى الصوت،

Al-Khalil said: Whoever shortens it (al-bukā') refers it to the meaning of sadness, and whoever lengthens it refers it to the meaning of sound,

وما زال عني ما كننت يشوقني، وما قلت حتى ارفضت العين باكيا

And what I concealed from you continued to stir my longing, and I did not speak until the eye flowed, crying.

فإنه ذكر باكيا وهي خبر عن العين، والعين أنثى، لأنه أراد حتى ارفضت العين ذات بكاء،

For he mentioned 'bākīyan' (crying) which is a predicate for 'al-'ayn' (the eye), and the eye is feminine, because he meant 'until the eye flowed with crying'.

وبكيته وبكيت عليه بمعنى.

And I cried over him and I cried for him, meaning the same thing.

قال الأصمعي: بكيت الرجل وبكيته، بالتشديد، كلاهما إذا بكيت عليه، وأبكيته إذا صنعت به ما يبكيه،

Al-Asma'i said: 'Bakaytu al-rajul' and 'Bakkaitu al-rajul' (with shadda), both mean if you cried over him, and 'abkaytuhu' means if I did to him what makes him cry.

تبكي عليك نجوم الليل والقمرا

The stars of the night and the moon cry for you.

واستبكيته وأبكيته بمعنى.

And I sought to make him cry and I made him cry, meaning the same thing.

والتبكاء: البكاء؛ عن اللحياني.

And 'al-tabkā' is crying; according to Al-Lihyani.

قال بعض نساء الأعراب في تأخيذ الرجال أخذته في دباء مملأ من الماء معلق بترشاء فلا يزل في تمشاء وعينه في تبكاء،

Some Bedouin women said in capturing men: I took him in a waterskin filled with water, hung by a rope, so he kept walking and his eye was in tears,

قال ابن الأعرابي: التبكاء، بالفتح، كثرة البكاء؛ وأنشد:

Ibn Al-A'rabi said: 'Al-tabkā'' (with fatha) is frequent crying; and he recited:

وأقرح عيني تبكاؤه، وأحدث في السمع مني صمم

And his frequent crying wounded my eyes, and caused deafness in my hearing.

وبكيت فلانا فبكيته إذا كنت أكثر بكاء منه.

And I cried with so-and-so, and I cried more than him if I was more crying than him.

وبكي النساء على حمزه

And the women cried over Hamza.

وبكاه بكاء وبكاه، كلاهما: بكى عليه ورثاه؛

And 'bakāhu' and 'bakkāhu', both mean: he cried over him and lamented him;

وكنت متى أرى زقا صريعا، يناح على جنازته، بكيت

And whenever I saw a young camel lying dead, lamenting over its funeral, I cried.

والبكى، مقصور: نبت أو شجر، واحدته بكاة.

And 'al-bakā' (shortened): a plant or tree, its singular is 'bukāh'.

قال أبو حنيفة: البكاة مثل البشامة لا فرق بينهما إلا عند العالم بهما،

Abu Hanifa said: 'Al-bukāh' is like 'al-bashāmah', there is no difference between them except for the one who knows them.

وإذا قطعت البكاة هريقت لبنا أبيض؛

And if the 'bukāh' is cut, it pours out white milk;