سمع

Root entry · 18 derived lemmas

The root 'سمع' primarily relates to the faculty of hearing and the act of perceiving sound. It extends to encompass what is heard, reputation, and the act of making something heard. The root also touches upon related concepts like attention, listening, and the physical ear.

Derived headwords

السَّمْعnoun

1.
hearingboth
The sense of hearing, the faculty of the ear by which sounds are perceived.
2.
what is heardboth
That which is perceived by the ear, the sound itself.
3.
reputationboth
Good and beautiful spoken reputation or fame.
4.
attentionclassical
Giving one's full attention or focus to something.

السمع حس الأذن — Hearing is the sense of the ear

أو ألقى السمع وهو شهيد — or he gives ear, while he is a witness

السَّمَاعnoun

1.
fameboth
That which is heard and becomes widespread and talked about.
2.
hearingboth
The act of hearing, often used as a masdar for the verb.

ألا يا أم فارع لا تلومي ... على شيء رفعت به سماعي — O Umm Farwa, do not blame me ... for something by which I raised my fame

أَسْمَاعnoun

1.
earsboth
Plural of 'sam'' (ear), referring to the organs of hearing.
2.
soundsboth
Plural of 'sam'' (sound), referring to things heard.

قالت ولم تقصد لقيل الخنا ... مهلا فقد أبلغت أسماعي — She said, not intending to speak obscenely... 'Hold on, for I have conveyed my messages (sounds)'

أَسَامِعnoun

1.
earsclassical
A broken plural of 'asmaa'' (ears), referring to the organs of hearing.

من سمع الناس بعمله سمع الله به أسامع خلقه — Whoever lets people hear of his deeds, Allah will let the ears of His creation hear of him

سَمِعَverb

1.
to hearboth
To perceive sound with the ear.
2.
to obeyboth
To listen to and comply with, to obey.

سمع، كعلم سمعا — He heard, like 'he knew' (sami'a, as 'alima, sam'an)

سَمْعًاnoun

1.
hearingboth
The act of hearing, used as a masdar.
2.
obedienceboth
Obedience, often used in the phrase 'hearing and obedience'.

سمعا وطاعة — Hearing and obedience

سَمَاعَةnoun

1.
hearing aidmodern
A device to aid hearing, or the faculty of hearing itself.
2.
reputationclassical
Fame or renown.

وسماعية ككراهية — and samā'iyyah like kurāhiyyah

تَسَمَّعَverb

1.
to listen intentlyboth
To listen carefully or intently to something.
2.
to eavesdropboth
To listen secretly to a private conversation.

وتسمعت رز الأنيس فراغها — And she listened intently to the sound of the human, her emptiness...

يقال: تسمعت إليه، وسمعت إليه، وسمعت له، كله بمعنى واحد — It is said: tusammi'a ilayhi, wa sami'a ilayhi, wa sami'a lahu, all meaning the same thing

اسْمَعْverb

1.
listen!both
An imperative form of the verb 'to hear', used to command attention.

إذا أدغمت قلت: اسمع — If you assimilate, you say: isma' (listen!)

لا يَسْمَعُونَverb

1.
they do not hearboth
The present tense negative form of the verb 'to hear'.

وقرأ الكوفيون، غير أبي بكر: لا يسمعون، بتشديد السين والميم — And the Kufans, except Abu Bakr, recited: la yasma'ūna, with a shadda on the sin and mim

السُّمْعَةnoun

1.
reputationboth
Fame, renown, or reputation, whether good or bad.
2.
making heardclassical
The act of making something known or heard.

أسمعته سمعة حسنة — I gave him a good reputation

ما فعله رياء ولا سمعة — He did not do it for ostentation or reputation

سَمْعَكnoun

1.
listen to meclassical
An expression meaning 'listen to me' or 'hear me'.

قولهم: سمعك إلي، أي اسمع مني — Their saying: sam'aka ilayya, meaning 'listen to me'

سَمِيعadjective

1.
hearingboth
One who hears; possessing the faculty of hearing.
2.
all-hearingboth
All-hearing, often used as an attribute of God.
3.
lionclassical
An epithet for a lion, which can hear prey from afar.

السميع، كأمير: المسمع — As-samī', like 'amīr: the one who makes heard

أمن ريحانة الداعي السميع — Is it from the scent of the all-hearing caller that keeps me awake...

المَسْمَعnoun

1.
earclassical
The organ of hearing.
2.
place of hearingboth
A place from which one can hear or be heard.
3.
part of a well bucketclassical
A loop or part of a well bucket.

المسمع، كمنبر: الأذن — Al-masma', like 'minbar: the ear

هو مني بمرأى ومسمع — He is within my sight and hearing

المَسَامِعnoun

1.
earsboth
Plural of 'masma'' (ear).

نفي القراد عن المسامع — Removing the tick from the ears

سَمِعَانname

1.
name of a person/placeboth
A proper name, often referring to a person or a place like a monastery.

يا لعنة الله والأقوام كلهم ... والصالحين على سمعان من جار — May the curse of Allah and all people... and the righteous be upon Sim'an who wronged

السَّمْعِيّadjective

1.
auditorymodern
Relating to hearing or the sense of hearing.
2.
related to the tribe Sam'aclassical
Belonging to the tribe or lineage of Sam'a.

محمد بن عمرو السمعي — Muhammad ibn Amr as-Sam'i

أم السمعnoun

1.
brainclassical
The brain, considered the seat of hearing and other faculties.

يقال:) ضربه على أم السمع — It is said: he struck him on the brain (umm as-sam')

Parallel reading

السمع حس الأذن، وهي قوة فيها، بها تدرك الأصوات

Hearing is the sense of the ear, which is a faculty within it, by which sounds are perceived.

وفي التنزيل العزيز: أو ألقى السمع وهو شهيد

And in the Noble Qur'an: or he gives ear, while he is a witness.

قال ثعلب: أي خلا له فلم يشتغل بغيره

Tha'lab said: meaning he was free for it and not occupied with anything else.

يعبر تارة بالسمع عن الأذن

Sometimes 'hearing' is used to mean the ear.

ختم الله على قلوبهم وعلى سمعهم

Allah has set a seal upon their hearts and upon their hearing.

السمع أيضا: اسم ما وقر فيها من شيء تسمعه

Hearing is also: the name for what settles in it of something you hear.

السمع أيضا: الذكر المسموع الحسن الجميل

Hearing is also: the good and beautiful spoken reputation.

والكسر سيذكره المصنف فيما بعد بمعنى الصيت

And the kasra (of samā') will be mentioned by the author later in the meaning of fame.

والسماع: ما سمعت به فشاع وتكلم به

And as-samā': is what you heard by which it spread and was spoken of.

ويكون السمع للواحد والجمع، كقوله تعالى: ختم الله على قلوبهم وعلى سمعهم

And 'hearing' can be for the singular and the plural, as in Allah's saying: Allah has set a seal upon their hearts and upon their hearing.

لأنه في الأصل مصدر

Because it is originally a masdar (verbal noun).

قال أبو قيس بن الأسلت: (قالت ولم تقصد لقيل الخنا ... مهلا فقد أبلغت أسماعي)

Abu Qays ibn al-Aslat said: (She said, not intending to speak obscenely... 'Hold on, for I have conveyed my messages (sounds)')

ويروى: إسماعي بكسر الهمزة على المصدر وجمع القلة أسمع

And it is narrated: ismā'ī with a kasra on the hamza as a masdar and the small plural is asmu'

وفي الصحاح: جمع الأسماع: أسامع

And in As-Sihaah: the plural of al-asmaa' is asaami'.

ومنهم من يقاتل صابرا محتسبا أولئك هم الشهداء

And some fight patiently seeking reward, those are the martyrs.

والسمعة: بمعنى التسميع، كالسخرة بمعنى التسخير

And as-sum'ah: means tasmee' (making heard), like as-sukhrah means taskheer (making subservient).

ورجل سمع، بالكسر: يسمع

And a man sam' (with kasra): hears.

وفي الدعاء: اللهم سمعا لا بلغا

And in the supplication: O Allah, hearing but not reaching.

المسمع، كمنبر: الأذن

Al-masma', like 'minbar: the ear.

يقال: فلان عظيم المسمعين، أي عظيم الأذنين

It is said: So-and-so has great masma'ayn, meaning great ears.

كما في الصحاح، ج: مسامع

As in As-Sihaah, pl.: masaami'.

من المجاز: المسمع: عروة تكون في وسط الغرب يجعل فيها حبل لتعتدل الدلو

Metaphorically: al-masma': a loop that is in the middle of the well bucket, in which a rope is placed to balance the bucket.

وهو مني بمرأى ومسمع، أي بحيث أراه وأسمع كلامه

He is within my sight and hearing, meaning where I can see him and hear his speech.

يقال: هو خرج بين سمع الأرض وبصرها

It is said: He went out between the hearing of the earth and its sight.

إذا لم يدر أين توجه

If he did not know where he was going.

معناه: بين سمع أهل الأرض وأبصارهم، فحذف المضاف

Its meaning: between the hearing of the people of the earth and their sight, so the possessor was omitted.

أو معنى لقيته بين سمع الأرض وبصرها، أي بأرض خالية ما بها أحد

Or the meaning is I met him between the hearing of the earth and its sight, meaning in an empty land where there was no one.

قال: معناه أن الرجل يخلو بها ليس معها أحد يسمع كلامها، ولا يبصرها إلا الأرض القفر

He said: Its meaning is that the man is alone with her, and no one is with her to hear her speech or see her except the barren land.

وسموا سمعون، وسماعة مخففة وسمعان، بالكسر والعامة تفتح السين

And they named them Sam'ūn, and Samā'ah (lightened), and Sam'ān, with a kasra, and the common people open the sin.

الإمام أبو المظفر منصور بن محمد بن عبد الجبار بن سمعان السمعاني

Imam Abu al-Muzaffar Mansur ibn Muhammad ibn Abd al-Jabbar ibn Sam'an as-Sam'ani.

السميع، كأمير: المسمع

As-samī', like 'amīr: the one who makes heard.

قال الأزهري: العجب من قوم فسروا السميع بمعنى المسمع فرارا من أن يوصف الله تعالى بأن له سمعا

Al-Azhari said: It is strange that some people interpreted as-samī' to mean al-masma' to escape describing Allah Almighty as having hearing.

فهو سميع: ذو سمع بلا تكييف ولا تشبيه بالسمع من خلقه

So He is Samī': Possessor of hearing without modality or comparison to the hearing of His creation.

والسميع: الأسد الذي يسمع الحس حس الإنسان والفريسة من بعد

And as-samī': The lion that hears the sound of humans and prey from afar.

وأم السميع، وأم السمع: الدماغ

And Umm as-samī', and Umm as-sam': the brain.

وعلى الأخير اقتصر الزمخشري، قال: يقال:) ضربه على أم السمع

And Al-Zamakhshari limited himself to the latter, saying: It is said:) he struck him on the brain (umm as-sam').

أبو رهم السمعي ذكره ابن أبي خيثمة في الصحابة

Abu Rihm as-Sam'i, Ibn Abi Khaythama mentioned him among the Companions.

محمد بن عمرو السمعي، ضبطه الحافظ بالتحريك، من أتباع التابعين

Muhammad ibn Amr as-Sam'i, Al-Hafiz vocalized him with harakah, from the followers of the Tabi'in.