Core sense — oxen, bulls and cows, domestic or wild; a family or householdgenerated
1
A generic noun of well-known meaning, [the bovine genus; the ox, or bull, and cow; and oxen, or bulls, and cows; neat; black cattle;] applied to the domestic and the wild.
The wild have distinctive names too, given below.
Ism waḥda بَقَرَةٌ [but in the K it is said that بَقَرٌ is the plural of بَقَرَةٌ], which is applied to the male and the female, the ة being added only to restrict it to one.
The plural of بَقَرٌ is أَبْقُرٌ [a plural of paucity]; and أَبْقَارٌ, meaning herds of oxen, or bulls, or cows.
The plural of بَقَرَةٌ is بَقَرَاتٌ, بُقُرٌ, بُقَّارٌ, بَوَاقِرُ and أُبْقُورٌ [or rather this last is an ism jamʿ].
The following are also ism jamʿ: بَيْقُورٌ, which is synonymous with بَقَرٌ; and بَقِيرٌ, or this means a collection, or herd, of بَقَر; and بَاقِرٌ, or this means a collection, or herd, of بَقَر with their pastors; and بَاقُورٌ; and بَاقُورَةٌ, or this last is synonymous with بَقَرَةٌ in the dialect of the people of El-Yemen.
Or بَاقُورٌ, يَبْقُورٌ and أُبْقُورٌ are all synonymous with بَقَرٌ; and so, according to Ktr, is بَاقُورَةٌ.
1.1the wild ox, or bull, and cow; wild oxen, or bulls, and cows, collectively—بَقَرُ الوَحْشِ
البَقَرُ الوَحْشِىُّ means the same. Ism waḥda بَقَرَةُ الوَحْشِ and البَقَرَةُ الوَحْشِيَّةُ, masculine and feminine.
In Egypt these names are applied to the antilope defassa of modern zoologists, according to Sir Gardner Wilkinson; and to this, I believe, they generally apply in the poems and other works of the early Arabs. It is a species of bovine antelope.
In Barbary the animal so called seems to be another species of bovine antelope, or perhaps a variety of the former; it is said to be what Pallas terms antilope bubalis, and others alcephalus bubalis, or acronotus bubalis; and this is said to come occasionally to the Nile.
But the Arabic names given above are used very loosely: thus we find بَقَرُ الوَحْشِ explained as a kind of animal of which there are four different species: the first called مِهِا [i.e. مَهًا, a collective generic noun whose ism waḥda is مَهَاةٌ]; the second, ايل [i.e. إِيَّلٌ]; the third, يحمور [i.e. يَحْمُورٌ], or يامور [i.e. يَأْمُورٌ]; the fourth, ثيثل [or ثَيْتَلٌ], and also وعل [i.e. وَعْلٌ].
(Ed-Demeeree, cited by De Sacy, who writes the name wrongly as “Domaïri”, in his Chrest. Ar., second edition, vol. 2, p. 435 and following.)
Or it is what is called in Persian كوزن [or گَوَزْنْ ]. It has a great horn with branches, an extra branch growing on its horn every year; and its horn is solid, unlike the horns of other animals, which are hollow. When it hears singing and the sounds of musical instruments it listens, and then takes no care to guard itself from the arrows, because of its intense delight in the sound. When it raises its ear it hears sounds; when it relaxes it, it hears nothing. (Kzw, also cited by De Sacy in the same place.)
The Arabs regard بَقَر [meaning بقر الوحش] as an omen of evil, because of the sharpness of their horns.
1.2figurative · مجازa large quantity—مِلْءُ مَسْكِ البَقَرَةِ
[The quantity that fills the hide of the bull, or cow.]
1.3
الظِّبَآءَ عَلَى البَقَرِ [or الظِّبَآءُ] and الكِرَابَ عَلَى البَقَرِ [or الكِرَابُ and الكِلَابَ, or الكِلَابُ] are proverbs of the Arabs.
[See arts. ظبي, كرب and كلب.]
1.4figurative · مجاز — inferred[the buphthalmum, or ox-eye]—عَيْنُ البَقَرِ
The same as بَهَارٌ, which see.
1.5figurative · مجازa species of grape, black, large, round, and not very sweet—عُيُونُ البَقَرِ
In Palestine, applied to a species of إِجَّاص [or plum].
1.6figurative · مجازa family, or household; those who live with a man and whose maintenance is his duty—بَقَرٌ
such a one came dragging along his family, or household—جَاءَ فُلَانٌ يَجُرُّ بَقَرَهُ
upon such a one depends a troop, or large number, of his family, and of camels or the like—عَلَى فُلَانٍ بَقَرَةٌ مِنْ عِيَالٍ وَمَالٍ
You say كَرِشٌ مِنْ عِيَالٍ in the same way.
such a one is among a large company of men—فُلَانٌ فِى بَقَرٍ مِنَ النَّاسِ
Qur’ānic occurrences بَقَر
2:70
قَالُوا۟ ٱدْعُ لَنَا رَبَّكَ يُبَيِّن لَّنَا مَا هِىَ إِنَّ ٱلْبَقَرَ تَشَـٰبَهَ عَلَيْنَا وَإِنَّآ إِن شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ لَمُهْتَدُونَThey said: "Beseech on our behalf Thy Lord to make plain to us what she is: To us are all heifers alike: We wish indeed for guidance, if Allah wills."
6:144
وَمِنَ ٱلْإِبِلِ ٱثْنَيْنِ وَمِنَ ٱلْبَقَرِ ٱثْنَيْنِ ۗ قُلْ ءَآلذَّكَرَيْنِ حَرَّمَ أَمِ ٱلْأُنثَيَيْنِ أَمَّا ٱشْتَمَلَتْ عَلَيْهِ أَرْحَامُ ٱلْأُنثَيَيْنِ ۖ أَمْ كُنتُمْ شُهَدَآءَ إِذْ وَصَّىٰكُمُ ٱللَّهُ بِهَـٰذَا ۚ فَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ ٱفْتَرَىٰ عَلَى ٱللَّهِ كَذِبًا لِّيُضِلَّ ٱلنَّاسَ بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِى ٱلْقَوْمَ ٱلظَّـٰلِمِينَOf camels a pair, and oxen a pair; say, hath He forbidden the two males, or the two females, or (the young) which the wombs of the two females enclose? - Were ye present when Allah ordered you such a thing? But who doth more wrong than one who invents a lie against Allah, to lead astray men without knowledge? For Allah guideth not people who do wrong.
6:146
وَعَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ هَادُوا۟ حَرَّمْنَا كُلَّ ذِى ظُفُرٍ ۖ وَمِنَ ٱلْبَقَرِ وَٱلْغَنَمِ حَرَّمْنَا عَلَيْهِمْ شُحُومَهُمَآ إِلَّا مَا حَمَلَتْ ظُهُورُهُمَآ أَوِ ٱلْحَوَايَآ أَوْ مَا ٱخْتَلَطَ بِعَظْمٍ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ جَزَيْنَـٰهُم بِبَغْيِهِمْ ۖ وَإِنَّا لَصَـٰدِقُونَFor those who followed the Jewish Law, We forbade every (animal) with undivided hoof, and We forbade them that fat of the ox and the sheep, except what adheres to their backs or their entrails, or is mixed up with a bone: this in recompense for their wilful disobedience: for We are true (in Our ordinances).
Occurrences of this form in the Qur’ān, not Lane’s choice of verse. They show the word in use; they do not say which sense above applies. Where more occur than are shown, the shortest āyāt are chosen.
Show Lane's original text
a gen. n., (S, Msb,) a word of well-known meaning, (S, Msb, K,) [The bovine genus; the ox, or bull, and cow; and oxen, or bulls, and cows; neat; black cattle;] applied to the domestic and the wild: (TA:) [but the wild have also distinctive appellations, as will be seen below:] n. un. بَقَرَةٌ , (S, Msb, K, [but in the K it is said that بَقَرٌ is pl. of بَقَرَةٌ ,]) which is applied to the male and the female; (S, Msb, K;) the ة being added only to restrict it to unity: (S, Msb:) the pl. of بَقَرٌ is أَبْقُرٌ [a pl. of pauc.]; (M,) and أَبْقَارٌ , meaning herds of oxen, or bulls, or cows: (Msb and TA in art. ابل :) and the pl. of بَقَرَةٌ is بَقَرَاتٌ (S, Msb, K) and بُقُرٌ and بُقَّارٌ (K) and بَوَاقِرُ (As, T, K) and أُبْقُورٌ ; (K;) [or rather this last is a quasi-pl. n.;] and the following [also] are quasi-pl. ns., namely, بَيْقُورٌ , (K,) which is syn. with بَقَرٌ , (S,) and بَقِيرٌ , (K,) or this signifies a collection, or herd, of بَقَر , (S,) and بَاقِرٌ , (K,) or this signifies a collection, or herd, of بَقَر with their pastors, (Lth, S,) and بَاقُورٌ , and بَاقُورَةٌ , (K,) or this last is syn. with بَقَرَةٌ in the dial. of the people of El-Yemen: (S:) or بَاقُورٌ and يَبْقُورٌ and أُبْقُورٌ are all syn. with بَقَرٌ ; and so, accord. to Ktr, is بَاقُورَةٌ . (Mgh.) بَقَرُ الوَحْشِ [and البَقَرُ الوَحْشِىُّ signify The wild ox, or bull, and cow; and wild oxen, or bulls, and cows, collectively: n. un. بَقَرَةُ الوَحْشِ and البَقَرَةُ الوَحْشِيَّةُ ; masc. and fem.: in Egypt, these appellations are applied to the antilope defassa of modern zoologists: so says Sir Gardner Wilkinson; and to this, I believe, they generally apply in the poems &c. of the early Arabs: it is a species of bovine antelope: in Barbary, it seems that the animal thus called is another species of bovine antelope, or perhaps a variety of the former; it is said to be what is termed by Pallas antilope bubalis; by others, alcephalus bubalis, or acronotus bubalis; and this is said to come occasionally to the Nile: but the Arabic appellations given above are employed with much laxity: thus we find بَقَرُ الوَحْشِ explained as meaning] a kind of animal of which there are four different species: the first called مِهِا [i. e. مَهًا , a coll. gen. n. of which the n. un. is مَهَاةٌ ]; the second, ايل [i. e. إِيَّلٌ ]; the third يحمور [i. e. يَحْمُورٌ ], or يامور [i. e. يَأْمُورٌ ]; the fourth, ثيثل [or ثَيْتَلٌ ], and also وعل [i. e. وَعْلٌ ]: (Ed-Demeeree, cited by De Sacy, erroneously written by him “ Domaïri, ” in his Chrest. Ar. sec. ed. ii. 435 et seq.:) or what is called in Persian كوزن [or گَوَزْنْ (see also إِيَّلٌ in art. اول )]; it has a great horn, with branches; an additional branch growing upon its horn every year; and its horn is solid, thus differing from the horns of other animals, for their horns are hollow: when it hears singing, and the sounds of musical instruments, it listens thereto, and then it takes no care to guard itself from the arrows, by reason of its intense delight therein: when it raises its ear, it hears sounds; and when it relaxes it, it hears not anything. (Kzw: also cited by De Sacy, ubi suprà.) The Arabs regard بَقَر [meaning بقر الوحش ] as ominous of evil, because of the sharpness of their horns. (Ham p. 285.) مِلْءُ مَسْكِ البَقَرَةِ [The quantity that fills the hide of the bull, or cow,] means a large quantity. (A.) الظِّبَآءَ عَلَى البَقَرِ [or الظِّبَآءُ ] and الكِرَابَ عَلَى البَقَرِ [or الكِرَابُ , and الكِلَابَ or الكِلَابُ ,] are provs. of the Arabs. (TA.) [See arts. ظبي and كرب and كلب .] عَيْنُ البَقَرِ [The buphthalmum, or ox-eye;] i. q. بَهَارٌ , q. v. (S in art. بهر .) عُيُونُ البَقَرِ A species of grape, black, large, round, and not very sweet. (K, TA.) In Palestine, applied to A species of إِجَّاص [or plum]. (K, TA.) بَقَرٌ is also applied to A family, or household; those who dwell with a man, and whose maintenance is incumbent on him. (TA.) You say, جَاءَ فُلَانٌ يَجُرُّ بَقَرَهُ Such a one came dragging along his family, or household. (A, * TA.) And عَلَى فُلَانٍ بَقَرَةٌ مِنْ عِيَالٍ وَمَالٍ Upon such a one is dependent a troop, or large number, of his family, and of camels or the like; (A, * TA;) and in like manner you say, كَرِشٌ مِنْ عِيَالٍ . (A.) And فُلَانٌ فِى بَقَرٍ مِنَ النَّاسِ Such a one is among a large company of men. (A.)