جسس

Root entry · 18 derived lemmas

The root جسس (j-s-s) primarily relates to the physical act of touching or feeling something with the hand. It extends metaphorically to searching, investigating, and seeking out information, often in a clandestine manner. This includes concepts of espionage, gathering news, and even the senses themselves.

Derived headwords

جَسَّverb

1.
to touch, feelboth
To touch something with the hand to feel its texture, temperature, or consistency.
2.
to investigate, probeclassical
Metaphorically, to investigate or probe into matters, especially by searching for information.
3.
to tread, walk uponclassical
To tread or walk upon the ground.

جسه بيده — He touched it with his hand

الجَسُّnoun

1.
touching, feelingboth
The act of touching or feeling something with the hand.
2.
investigationclassical
The act of investigating or searching for information.

الجَسُّ: المس باليد — The Jass: touching with the hand

اجْتَسَّverb

1.
to touch, feelboth
To touch and feel something, similar to 'jassahu'.
2.
to graze, eat (for camels)classical
Camels grazing or eating vegetation with their mouths.

اجتسه، أي مسه ولمسه — He touched it, meaning he felt it and handled it

اجتست الإبل الكلأ بمجاسها، أي أفواهها — The camels grazed on the pasture with their mouths

المَجَسَّةnoun

1.
place touchedboth
The place where the hand lands when touching or feeling something.
2.
point of contactclassical
The area or point of contact.
3.
narrow-mindednessclassical
Figuratively, a lack of open-mindedness or generosity of spirit.

وموضعه الذي تقع عليه يداه إذا جسه: المجسة — And the place where his hands fall when he touches it: the majassat

المَجَسُّnoun

1.
place touchedboth
Similar to 'majassat', the place touched by hand.
2.
narrow-mindednessclassical
Figuratively, a lack of open-mindedness or generosity of spirit.

كالمجس — Like the majass

تَجَسَّسَverb

1.
to spy, investigatemodern
To investigate news and search for information, often secretly.
2.
to seek out (for oneself/others)classical
To seek out information, either for oneself or for another.
3.
to seek out secrets/faultsclassical
To search for secrets or faults, especially those that are hidden.

كالتجسس — Like the tajassus

تجسست فلانا، ومن فلان: بحثت عنه — I investigated so-and-so, and searched for him

التَّجَسُّسnoun

1.
espionage, spyingmodern
The act of investigating news and searching for information, often secretly.
2.
investigation of secretsclassical
The act of searching for hidden information or secrets.

من المجاز: الجس: تفحص الأخبار والبحث عنها، كالتجسس — From the figurative: Al-Jass: examining news and searching for it, like Tajassus

الجاسوسnoun

1.
spymodern
A person who secretly gathers information, especially for an enemy or rival.

الجاسوس — The spy

الجَسِيسnoun

1.
spy, informantclassical
A person who is privy to secrets, especially those of evil, acting as an informant.

والجسيس، كأمير: لصاحب سر الشر — And Al-Jasīs, like Amīr: for the confidant of evil secrets

الجَوَاسُّnoun

1.
sensesclassical
The human senses, particularly the five primary ones (sight, hearing, smell, touch, taste).

قال الخليل: الجواس: الحواس — Al-Khalil said: Al-Jawās: the senses

المَجَاسُnoun

1.
points of contactclassical
The places or points where one touches or feels.
2.
mouths (of camels)classical
Figuratively, the mouths of camels, used to assess their condition.

فالمجاس على هذا: المواضع التي تجس بها هي — And Al-Majās, according to this: are the places by which you feel

الجَسَّاسَةnoun

1.
a creature that spiesclassical
A creature said to inhabit islands, which spies out news and brings it to the Antichrist.

والجساسة: دابة تكون في الجزائر تجس الأخبار — And Al-Jassāsah: a creature that is in the islands, spying out news

جَسَّاسadjective

1.
striking, powerful (lion)classical
Describing a lion that powerfully strikes its prey with its claws, as if it has felt it.
2.
treading heavilyclassical
One who treads heavily upon the earth.

مواثب أهرت الشدقين جساس — Pouncing, with gaping jaws, a striking one

جساس يجس الأرض، أي يطؤها — Jassās treads the earth, meaning he walks upon it

جَسَّاسname

1.
a male given nameboth
A proper name for males.

جساس بن قطيب أبو المقدام: راجز — Jassās bin Qutayb, Abu Al-Miqdām: a poet of rajaz

جَسْverb

1.
to urge on (camel)classical
A command or utterance used to urge a camel forward.

جس، بالكسر: زجر للبعير — Juss, with kasra: a driving away of the camel

حَسَّverb

1.
to feel, perceiveclassical
To feel or perceive something, often through touch or a general sense.

يقال: حسه وأحسه بمعنى — It is said: Hassa and Ahassa mean the same thing

أَحَسَّverb

1.
to feel, perceiveclassical
To feel or perceive something, often through touch or a general sense.

يقال: حسه وأحسه بمعنى — It is said: Hassa and Ahassa mean the same thing

حَسْوverb

1.
to perceive, observeclassical
To perceive or observe something, especially by looking intently.

ثم حسوه بأعينهم — Then they perceived it with their eyes

Parallel reading

كالاجتساس، وقد جسه بيده واجتسه، أي مسه ولمسه.

Like seeking, and he touched it with his hand and felt it, meaning he touched and handled it.

وموضعه الذي تقع عليه يداه إذا جسه: المجسة، كالمجس، ويقال: مجسته حارة.

And the place where his hands fall when he touches it: the majassat, like the majass, and it is said: its touch is hot.

من المجاز: الجس: تفحص الأخبار والبحث عنها، كالتجسس.

From the figurative: Al-Jass: examining news and searching for it, like Tajassus.

قال اللحياني: تجسست فلانا، ومن فلان: بحثت عنه، كتجسست.

Al-Lihyani said: I investigated so-and-so, and searched for him, like tajassastu.

وقيل: التجسس بالجيم: أن يطلبه لغيره، وبالحاء: أن يطلبه لنفسه، وقيل: بالجيم: البحث عن العورات، وبالحاء: الاستماع، ومعناهما واحد في تطلب معرفة الأخبار.

And it was said: Tajassus with Jīm: is to seek it for another, and with Hāʾ: is to seek it for oneself, and it was said: with Jīm: is searching for private parts, and with Hāʾ: is listening, and their meaning is one in seeking knowledge of news.

ومنه الجاسوس والجسيس، كأمير: لصاحب سر الشر، وهو العين الذي يتجسس الأخبار، ثم يأتي بها، والناموس: صاحب سر الخير.

And from it is Al-Jāsūs and Al-Jasīs, like Amīr: for the confidant of evil secrets, and he is the spy who investigates news, then brings it, and Al-Nāmūs: is the confidant of good secrets.

قال الخليل: الجواس: الحواس.

Al-Khalil said: Al-Jawās: the senses.

وفي المثل: أحناكها، أو يقال: أفواهها مجاسها، وإنما قيل ذلك لأن الإبل إذا أحسنت الأكل اكتفى الناظر بذلك في معرفة سمنها من أن يجسها ويضبثها.

And in the proverb: its jaws, or it is said: its mouths are its majās, and this was only said because if camels eat well, the observer is satisfied with that in knowing their fatness rather than touching and grasping them.

إذا رأيتها تجيد الأكل أولا فكأنما جسستها، ويقولون: كيف ترى مجستها فتقول: دالة على السمن.

If you see it eating well at first, it is as if you have felt it, and they say: how do you see its majassat? And she says: it indicates fatness.

يضرب في شواهد الأشياء الظاهرة المعربة عن بواطنها.

It is used as a metaphor for apparent things that indicate their inner states.

إذا طلبت كلأ جست برؤوسها وأحناكها فإن وجدت مرتعا رمت برؤوسها فرتعت، وإلا مرت.

If it seeks pasture, it probes with its head and jaws; if it finds a grazing spot, it lowers its head and grazes, otherwise it moves on.

من المجاز قولهم: فلان ضيق المجسة والمجس، إذا كان غير رحيب الصدر ولم يكن واسع السرب، ويقال: في مجسك ضيق.

From the figurative is their saying: So-and-so has a narrow majassat and majass, if he is not open-chested and not broad-minded, and it is said: in your majass is narrowness.

من المجاز عن ابن دريد: جسه بعينه، إذا أحد النظر إليه ليستثبت ويستبين.

From the figurative according to Ibn Duraid: he looked at it with his eyes, meaning he intently looked at it to ascertain and clarify.

والجساسة: دابة تكون في الجزائر تجس الأخبار، فتأتي بها الدجال.

And Al-Jassāsah: a creature that is in the islands, spying out news, and bringing it to the Antichrist.

الجساس ككتان: الأسد المؤثر في الفريسة ببراثنه، فكأنه قد جسها.

Al-Jassās like Kuttān: the lion that strikes its prey with its claws, as if it has felt it.

وقال أبو سعيد الحسن بن الحسين السكري: جساس يجس الأرض، أي يطؤها.

And Abu Sa'id Al-Hasan bin Al-Husayn Al-Sukkari said: Jassās treads the earth, meaning he walks upon it.

قتيل ما قتيل المرء عمرو وجساس بن مرة ذو ضرير.

A slain man, not the slain man of 'Amr, but Jassās bin Murrah, the one with the weak eye.

أحيا جساسا فلما حان مصرعه خلى جساسا لأقوام سيحمونه.

He revived Jassās, but when his death came, he left Jassās to people who would protect him.

قال مجاهد: أي خذوا ما ظهر ودعوا ما ستر الله عز وجل، أو لا تفحصوا عن بواطن الأمور، أو لا تبحثوا على العورات، كل ذلك من معاني التجسس، بالجيم، وقد تقدم الفرق بينه وبين التحسس، بالحاء، وهو مجاز.

Mujahid said: meaning take what is apparent and leave what Allah Almighty has concealed, or do not investigate the inner matters, or do not search for private parts; all of that is from the meanings of Tajassus, with Jīm, and the difference between it and Tahassus, with Hāʾ, has preceded, and it is figurative.

اجتست الإبل الكلأ، إذا رعته بمجاسها، أي أفواهها، وفي الأساس: التمسته بأفواهها.

The camels grazed on the pasture, if they ate it with their majās, meaning their mouths, and in Al-Asās: they sought it with their mouths.

الجس: جس النصي والصليان حيث يخرج من الأرض على غير أرومة.

Al-Jass: is the touching of Al-Nass and Al-Salīyān where they emerge from the earth without a root.

ويقال: جس الأرض جسا: وطئها، ومنه سمي الأسد جساسا.

And it is said: Jassa the earth Jassā: he trod upon it, and from this the lion was named Jassās.

ثم جسوه بأعينهم ثم اختفوه وقرن الشمس قد زالا.

Then they perceived it with their eyes, then they revealed it, and the sun's horn had set.

واختتوه: أخذوه.

And they took it: they seized it.