عسى

Root entry · 18 derived lemmas

The root 'asā' primarily relates to verbs of near-occurrence, hope, and possibility. It can also denote doubt, certainty, and is used in specific idiomatic expressions. Derived forms describe plants, camels, and young girls.

Derived headwords

عَسَىverb

1.
to be about toboth
Used to indicate that an event is likely to happen soon, often translated as 'to be about to' or 'to be near to'.
2.
to hopeboth
Expresses hope or expectation, particularly for something desirable.
3.
to fearboth
Expresses apprehension or fear regarding something undesirable.
4.
to doubtboth
Indicates doubt or uncertainty about a situation.
5.
to be certainclassical
Denotes certainty or conviction, especially in specific contexts.

وعسى أن تكرهوا شيئا وهو خير لكم — And it is possible that you dislike something while it is good for you

عَسَاهُparticle

1.
perhaps heboth
A particle used to express possibility or hope, often translated as 'perhaps he' or 'may he'.

عَسَىverb

1.
to dry upclassical
Refers to plants becoming dry, withered, and stiff.

وعسى النبات — And the plants dried up

عاسَverb

1.
to dry upclassical
An alternative form of the verb meaning 'to dry up' or 'to become stiff', referring to plants.

العاسِيnoun

1.
date palmclassical
A term for a date palm tree.

والعاسي: النخل — And the date palm: the palms

العاسِيnoun

1.
date palm frondclassical
Refers to the frond or spathe of a date palm.

وقال أبو عبيد: شمراخ النخل — And Abu Ubaid said: the frond of the palm tree

الغَسَاnoun

1.
unripe datesclassical
Refers to unripe dates (balah), with a 'ghayn' sound.

والغسا: للبلح، بالغين — And al-ghassā: for unripe dates, with a ghayn

المعسِيَّةadjective

1.
uncertain milkclassical
Describes a female camel whose milk production is uncertain, whether it has milk or not.

إذ المعسيات منعن الصبوح — When the uncertain-milked ones withheld their morning milk

المعسِيَّةnoun

1.
uncertain milkclassical
Refers to female camels whose milk has stopped but is hoped to return.

مِعْسَاةadjective

1.
destined forclassical
Indicates something is destined or fated for a particular thing, applicable to masculine, feminine, singular, and plural.

وإنه لمعساة بكذا — And indeed he is destined for such and such

أُعِسَّ بِهِverb

1.
to be fittingclassical
Means something is fitting or appropriate for someone.

أعس به — It was fitting for him

عَسِيَ بِهِadjective

1.
fittingclassical
Describes something as fitting or appropriate.

وهو عسي به — And it is fitting for him

عَسٍ بِهِadjective

1.
fittingclassical
A shortened form indicating something is fitting or appropriate.

وعس به — And it is fitting for him

بِالعَسَىparticle

1.
it is fittingclassical
Used to express that something is fitting or likely to happen.

وبالعسى أن تفعل — And it is fitting that you do

المعسَاءadjective

1.
adolescent girlclassical
Describes a young girl who is approaching puberty, whose maturity is uncertain.

كَمَعْسَاء الجواري — Like adolescent girls

عَسَيْتُمverb

1.
are you nearclassical
A form of the verb used interrogatively, asking if people are close to doing something, like fleeing.

فهل عسيتم — So are you near

عَسَتْverb

1.
she was nearclassical
The feminine singular past tense form, indicating she was near to doing something.

ويقال للمرأة: عست أن تفعل ذاك — And it is said to a woman: she was near to doing that

عَسيتُنَّverb

1.
you (fem. pl.) were nearclassical
The feminine plural past tense form, indicating you (plural feminine) were near to doing something.

وعسيتن — And you (fem. pl.) were near

Parallel reading

قيل: (فعل مطلقا، أو حرف مطلقا)

It was said: (a verb absolutely, or a particle absolutely)

بل عسى فيها تفصيل الحرفية إذا دخلت على ضمير متصل

Rather, 'asā' has a detailed classification as a particle when it enters upon a connected pronoun

وهو مذهب سيبويه وجماعة، وفعل من أفعال المقاربة إذا دخلت على ظاهر كما هو رأي المبرد والأخفش وغيرهما

And this is the doctrine of Sibawayh and a group, and a verb from the verbs of near-occurrence when it enters upon an explicit noun, as is the opinion of Al-Mubarrid, Al-Akhfash, and others.

للترجي في المحبوب والإشفاق في المكروه، واجتمعا في قوله تعالى: {! وعسى أن تكرهوا شيئا} (الآية)

For hope in what is beloved and apprehension in what is disliked, and they combined in the saying of Allah the Almighty: {And it is possible that you dislike something} (the verse).

وعسى من أفعال المقاربة، وفيه طمع وإشفاق، ولا يتصرف لأنه وقع بلفظ الماضي لما جاء في الحال

And 'asā' is one of the verbs of near-occurrence, and it contains hope and apprehension, and it is not conjugated because it occurred in the past tense form for a present situation.

تقول: عسى زيد أن يخرج، فزيد فاعل عسى وأن يخرج مفعولها، وهو بمعنى الخروج إلا أن خبره لا يكون اسما، لا يقال: عسى زيد منطلقا

You say: 'Asā Zayd an yakhruj' (Zayd might go out), so Zayd is the subject of 'asā' and 'an yakhruj' is its object, and it means going out, except that its predicate is not a noun; it is not said: 'Asā Zayd munṭaliqan' (Zayd might be going out).

عسى طمع وترج، وكثير من المفسرين فسروا عسى ولعل في القرآن باللازم وقالوا: إن الطمع والرجاء لا يصح من الله تعالى، وهو قصور

'Asā' is hope and expectation, and many commentators interpreted 'asā' and 'la'alla' in the Quran as necessary, and they said that hope and expectation are not appropriate from Allah the Almighty, and this is a deficiency.

وذلك أن الله تعالى إذا ذكر ذلك فذكره ليكون الإنسان منه على رجاء، لا أن يكون هو تعالى راجيا

And that is because when Allah the Almighty mentions that, He mentions it so that the human being may have hope from it, not that He Himself is hoping.

ظني بهم! كعسى وهم بتنوفة يتنازعون جوائز الأمثال

My guess about them! Is like 'asā' while they are in a desert competing for the prizes of proverbs.

ويستعمل الفعل بعده بغير أن، قالوا: عسى زيد ينطلق؛ قال الشاعر:

And the verb is used after it without 'an'. They said: 'Asā Zayd yanṭaliq' (Zayd might go out); the poet said:

عسى الله يغني عن بلاد ابن قارب بمنهمر جون الرباب سكوب

May Allah suffice from the lands of Ibn Qārib with a downpour of dark clouds, pouring.

وعسى من الله إيجاب في جميع القرآن إلا قوله تعالى: {عسى ربه ان طلقكن أن يبدله أزواجا} ؛

And from Allah, 'asā' implies a command in the entire Quran, except for the Almighty's saying: {It may be that his Lord, if he divorces you, will substitute in your place wives better than you};

وهو شاذ نادر، وضع أبؤسا موضع الخبر، وقد يأتي في الأمثال ما لا يأتي في غيرها.

And it is rare and anomalous; 'ab'usā' is placed in the position of the predicate, and what comes in proverbs may not come elsewhere.

يبس واشتد، لغة في عسا يعسو، نقله الجوهري عن الخليل.

It became dry and stiff, a dialectal variant of 'asā ya'sū', transmitted by Al-Jawhari from Al-Khalil.

وهي لغة بالحارث بن كعب.

And it is a dialect of the Banu Al-Harith ibn Ka'b.

نبه على ذلك أبو سهل الهروي، كما وجد بخط أبي زكريا وقد ذكره سيبويه في كتاب النخل، وأبو حنيفة في كتاب النبات بالعين والغين.

Abu Sahl Al-Harawi pointed this out, as found in the handwriting of Abu Zakariya, and Sibawayh mentioned it in the Book of Palms, and Abu Hanifa in the Book of Plants with both 'ayn and ghayn.

التي يشك أبها لبن أم لا؛ عن ابن الأعرابي؛ وأنشد:

Which is uncertain whether it has milk or not; from Ibn Al-A'rabi; and he recited:

جريه وكيله، والمحصن ما ادخر من الطعام.

Jarīh is his agent, and al-muḥaṣṣan is what is stored of food.

المعسيات من الإبل ما انقطع لبنه فيرجى أن يعود.

Al-Mu'siyyāt from the camels are those whose milk has stopped but is hoped to return.

يكون للمذكر والمؤنث والاثنين والجمع بلفظ واحد.

It is used for masculine, feminine, dual, and plural with one form.

أي أخلق به، كأحربه؛ عن اللحياني.

Meaning it is fitting for him, like 'aḥrabahu'; from Al-Lihyani.

أي: خليق. (! وبالعسى أن تفعل) أي: (بالحرى.

Meaning: fitting. (And bil-'asā an taf'ala) meaning: (fittingly.

التي يظن أنها قد بلغت عن اللحياني؛ وأنشد:

Who is thought to have reached maturity, from Al-Lihyani; and he recited:

ألم ترني تركت أبا يزيد وصاحبه كمعساء الجواري

Did you not see me leave Abu Yazid and his companion like adolescent girls?

قرىء بفتح السين وبكسرها، (أي هل أنتم قريب من الفرار)

It is recited with a fatḥa on the sin and a kasra, (meaning: are you close to fleeing)

وعسيتن وعسيتم؛ ولا يقال منه يفعل ولا فاعل.

And 'asaytunna' and 'asaytum'; and it is not said from it 'yaf'alu' or 'fā'il'.