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عَيْرٌ ذ The ass; (S, O, Msb, K;) both the wild and the domestic; (S, O, Msb;) its predominant application is to the former: (K:) so called because he goes away hither and thither (يَعِيرُ فَيَتَرَدَّدُ) in the desert: (TA:) fem. with ة: (S, Msb:) pl. [of pauc.] أَعْيَارٌ, (S, O, Msb, K.) and [of mult.] عِيَارٌ and عُيُورٌ (K) and عُيُورَةٌ (S, O, Msb, K) and عِيَرَةٌ (O) and ↓ مَعْيُورَآءُ , (S, O, K,) like مَشْيُوخَآءُ &c., or this is [properly speaking] a quasi-pl. n., (TA,) and ↓ مَعْيُورَى , [also a quasipl. n.,] (Az, TA,) and pl. pl. عِيَرَاتٌ (O) and عِيَارَاتٌ. (K.) [Dim. عُيَيْرٌ, q. v. intra.] ― -b2- It is said in a prov., relating to contentment with that which is present and forgetting what is absent, إِِنْ ذَهَبَ العَيْرُ فَعَيْرٌ فِى الرِّبَاطِ [If the ass has gone away, there is an ass in the tether]. (A 'Obeyd.) ― -b3- You say also, of a place in which is no good, هُوَ كَجَوْفِ عَيْرٍ [It is like the belly of an ass], (S, TA,) or كجوف العَيْرِ [like the belly of the ass]; (TA;) because there is nothing in his belly of which any use is made: (S, TA:) or this originated from the saying هُوَ أَخْلَى مِنْ جَوْفِ حِمَارٍ [It is more empty than the valley of Himar]; (S, O, * TA;) for حمار was the name of a certain unbeliever, who possessed a valley, which for his infidelity, God rendered waste and unproductive; (O, * TA;) and Imra-el-Keys, (O, TA,) as some say, but correctly Taäbbata-sharrà, (O,) quoting the above-mentioned saying, has substituted العير for حمار, for the sake of the metre. (O, TA.) ― -b4- One says also أَذَلُّ مِنَ العَيْرِ More vile than the ass. (TA.) [But this is doubtful: see the same phrase expl. differently later in this paragraph. The wild ass is superior to every other kind of animal that is an object of the chase: (see فَرَأٌ:) and hence, app., the signification here next following.] ― -b5- عَيْرٌ also signifies A lord, or chief, (S, O, K,) of a people: (S, O:) a king: (K:) pl. أَعْيَارٌ. (O.) ― -b6- The saying (S, K) of the people of Syria, used by them proverbially, (TA,) عَيْرٌ بِعَيْرٍ وَزِيَادَةُ عَشَرَةٍ [A lord for a lord, or a lord is succeeded by a lord, and an increase of ten] is expl. by the fact that, when the Khaleefeh of the sons of Umeiyeh died, and another arose, he increased their stipends by ten dirhems: (S, O, K:) so they said thus on that occasion. (O, TA.) ― -b7- عَيْرُ السَّرَاةِ is an appellation of A certain bird, (S, O, K, TA,) resembling the pigeon, (S, O, TA,) short in the legs, which are coved with feathers, yellow in the legs and bill, having the eye bordered with black, of a clear colour inclining to greenness, or dark dust-colour, (خُضْرَة,) yellow in the belly and the part beneath its wings and the inner part of its tail; as though it were a variegated بُرْد: pl. عُيُورُ السَّرَاةِ: السَّرَاةُ being a place in the district of Et-Táïf: they assert that this bird eats three hundred figs, from the time of their coming forth from among the leaves, small; and in like manner, grapes. (TA.) -A2- Also The prominence, or ridge, in the middle of the iron head or blade of an arrow or of a spear or of a sword or of a knife or the like. (S, O.) [See ذُبَابٌ.] ― -b2- The prominent line, (S, O, TA,) like a little wall, (TA,) in the middle of a leaf; its middle rib. (S, O, TA.) ― -b3- The spine, i. e. the prominent part, in the middle of the scapula, or shoulderblade. (S, O.) ― -b4- The prominent, or projecting, bone in the middle of the hand: pl. أَعْيَارٌ. (TA.) [In the K, it is expl. simply by العَظْمُ النَّاتِئُ وَسَطَهَا: but this is a wrong reading, app. occasioned by an omission, which is supplied in the TA, though somewhat awkwardly: it seems that we should read وَمِنَ الكَفِّ العَظْمُ النَّتِئُ وَسَطَهَا; or, more probably, ومن الكَتِفِ الخ; for I incline to think that الكفّ in the TA is a mistake for الكتف, and that the last signification of عير, given here, is doubtful.] ― -b5- The prominence, or protuberance, in the upper, or convex, part, or back, of the foot. (S, O, TA.) ― -b6- Any prominent, or protuberant, bone in the body. (TA.) ― -b7- An edge, or a ridge, of a rock, naturally prominent. (TA.) ― -b8- Anything prominent, or protuberant, in an even thing, (K,) or in the middle of an even thing [or surface]. (TA.) ― -b9- Each of the two portions of flesh and sinew next the back bone, one on either side thereof: both together are called عَيْرَانِ. (K, * TA.) [So called because it forms a kind of ridge.] ― -b10- The prominent, or protuberant, part at the pupil (بُؤْبُؤ) of the eye: (AA, TA:) or the lid of the eye: (S, O, K:) or the inner angle [for مَأٰقِى, in the CK, I read مَأْقَى, as in other copies of the K,] of the eye: (Th, K:) or the image that is seen in the black of the eye when a thing faces it; (Aboo-Tálib, L, K; *) also called لُعْبَةٌ: (Aboo-Tálib, L:) or the eye-ball: (TA:) or a looking from the outer angle (لَحْظ [or perhaps this signifies here the outer angle itself]) of the eye. (K.) Hence the saying, (S, O,) فَعَلْتُ ذَاكَ قَبْلَ عَيْرٍ وَمَا جَرَى I did that before a look from the outer angle of the eye: (S, O, K: *) or before he winked [or could wink]; عير meaning the “ image that is seen in the black of the eye; ” and ما جرى, “ what moved, ” i. e., “ the eye itself: ” (Aboo-Tálib:) or before I looked [or could look] at thee; not used with a negative: (Th:) nor do you say أَفْعَلُ ذاك [instead of فعلت ذاك in this phrase]: (A O, S:) or عير here signifies the wild ass. (Lh.) You say also أَتَيْتُكَ قَبْلَ عَيْرٍ وَمَا جَرَى, meaning I came to thee before a sleeper awoke [or could awake]. (AA, TA.) ― -b11- The وَتِد [or tragus] which is in the inner part of the ear: (S:) [see وَتِدٌ:] or the part of the interior of the ear which is below the فَرْع [or upper portion thereof], (K,) in a man and in a horse, like the عَيْر [of the head] of an arrow: (TA:) or the عَيْرَانِ are the مَتْنَانِ [app. meaning the two backs, though the word may have some other application in this case,] of the two ears of a horse: pl. عِيَارٌ. (TA.) -A3- A wooden pin, peg, or stake, which is fixed in the ground or in a wall. (S, O, K.) Hence, as some say, the prov. فُلَانٌ أَذَلُّ مِنَ العَيْرِ [Such a one is more vile than the wooden pin, or peg, of a tent &c.]. (TA.) [See another explanation above: and see also مَذَلَّةٌ.] Hence also, accord. to some, (TA,) one says, مَا أَدْرِى أَىُّ مَنْ ضَرَبَ العَيْرَ هُوَ, meaning I known not what one of mankind is he. (Yaakoob, S, O, K, TA.) And hence too, as some say, the saying of El-Hárith Ibn-Hillizeh, (O, TA,) “ زَعَمُوا أَنَّ كُلَّ مَنْ ضَرَبَ العَيْ
رَ مَوَالٍ لَنَا وَأَنَّا الوَلَآءُ
” of which Aboo-'Amr Ibn-El-'Alà said that he had passed away, or died, who knew the meaning of this verse, (S, O, TA,) and which is differently related, some saying مَوَالٍ لَهَا, and some saying الوِلَآءُ: (TA:) but various meanings are assigned to العير in this instance; and some expl. it as a proper name: (O, TA:) and some, relating this verse, say العِيرَ [q. v.]: (TA:) [the following explanation of the verse has been given as preferable to others:] They (the Arákim, mentioned two verses before,) have asserted that all who have hunted the wild ass are the sons of our paternal uncles, and that we are the relations of them; الولآء being for أَصْحَابُ وَلَائِهِمْ: meaning that we are responsible for their crimes, or offences, as though we were their heirs. (EM p. 261.) -A4- Also A certain piece of wood which is in the fore part of the [vehicle called] هَوْدَج. (O, K.) -A5- And A drum. (O, K.) And so, as some say, in the verse cited above. (O, TA.) -A6- And A mountain. (K.) And also the name of A mountain of El-Medeeneh: (K, TA:) and, as some say, of a mountain of Mekkeh. (TA.) -A7- And الأَعْيَارُ (of which the sing. is العَيْرُ, TA) is a name of Certain bright stars in the track of the feet of سُهَيْل [or Canopus]. (O, K.)
An Arabic-English Lexicon. London. Williams and Norgate. 1863.

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