Core sense — a year, a period of one winter and one summergenerated
1
A year; synonym سَنَةٌ, or حَوْلٌ, not سَنَةٌ.
El-Jawáleekee says that the common people do not distinguish between the عام and the سنه, making them both have the same meaning; but the right account is what I have been told on the authority of Ahmad Ibn-Yahyà, that the سنه is from any day from which one starts a reckoning to the same day again, while the عام is only a winter and a summer.
It is also said in the T and in the Bári that the عام is a حَوْل that makes an end of a winter and a summer, so that every عام is a سنة, but every سنة is not an عام: for when you reckon from a day to the same day again, that is a سنة, and half the summer and half the winter may fall in it, whereas the عام is only a winter and a summer, without interruption.
Er-Rāghib mentions a difference in the uses of the words عَامٌ and سَنَةٌ; see art. سنو and سنى, and see سَنَةٌ in that article.
Suh says, in the R, that the سنة is longer than the عام: the first is a single revolution of the sun, and the second is applied to the twelve Arabian months together.
It is said to be called عام because of the sun's عَوْم, or coursing, through all of its zodiacal signs during the period it denotes.
Its plural is أَعْوامٌ, because the singular is originally of the measure فَعَلٌ; it has no other plural than this.
1.1I met him in a former year—لقِيتُهُ عَامًا أَوَّلَ
I met him in a year before—لَقِتُهُ عَامًا أَوَّلًا
Generally meaning the year immediately before, or, as we say, last year; the last word is imperfectly declinable, being an adjective of the measure of a verb.
Generally meaning the same as the phrase before it; the last word is perfectly declinable, not being an adjective but an adverbial noun; see art. وأل. Or the meaning is: in a year before this year, even if by a number of years ('Alee El-Kári, on the authority of Seer, art. اول).
According to AZ and IAar one also says لَقَيتُهُ عَامَ الأَوَّلِ; or this is rarely said, or should not be said; nor should one say لَقَيتُهُ عَامَ أَوَّلَ.
I have not seen him since a year preceding this one year—ما رَأَيْتُهُ مُذْ عَامٌ أَوَّلُ
The last word is put in the nominative as an adjective, as though he said أَوَّلُ مِنْ عَامِنَا.
since a year before this our year—مُذْ عَامٌ أَوَّلَ
The last word is put in the accusative as an adverbial noun, as though he said مُذْ عامٌ قَبْلَ عَامِنَا.
مُذْعَامًا أَوَّلَ and مُذْ عَامُ الأَوَّلِ are also mentioned by different authors.
I met him in the course of some years—العُوَيْمِ لَقِتُهُ ذَاتَ
This uses the diminutive form, like the sayings لَقِيتُهُ ذَاتَ الزُّمَيْنِ and ذَاتَ مَرَّةٍ. Or the meaning is: some few years ago, or three years ago or more, up to ten; and it is like the saying لَقِيتُهُ مُنْذُ سُنَيَّاتٍ. The feminine form is used because they mean by it مَرَّة وَاحِدَة.
1.2a she-camel that has passed a year after cutting her tush—نَاقَةٌ بَازِلُ عَامٍ
a she-camel that has passed her year after cutting her tush—بَازِلُ عَامِهَا
a she-camel that has passed two years after cutting the tush—بازِل عَامَيْنِ
MF, art. بزل.
2
See also عَامَةٌ, in two places.
3
It is also said that العَامُ means النَّهَارُ, but this is a mistake and a mistranscription: it is العَيَامُ, and its place is art. عيم, as mentioned by Az on the authority of El-Muärrij.
Qur’ānic occurrences عَام 5 shown of 7
9:28
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓا۟ إِنَّمَا ٱلْمُشْرِكُونَ نَجَسٌ فَلَا يَقْرَبُوا۟ ٱلْمَسْجِدَ ٱلْحَرَامَ بَعْدَ عَامِهِمْ هَـٰذَا ۚ وَإِنْ خِفْتُمْ عَيْلَةً فَسَوْفَ يُغْنِيكُمُ ٱللَّهُ مِن فَضْلِهِۦٓ إِن شَآءَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌO ye who believe! Truly the Pagans are unclean; so let them not, after this year of theirs, approach the Sacred Mosque. And if ye fear poverty, soon will Allah enrich you, if He wills, out of His bounty, for Allah is All-knowing, All-wise.
9:126
أَوَلَا يَرَوْنَ أَنَّهُمْ يُفْتَنُونَ فِى كُلِّ عَامٍ مَّرَّةً أَوْ مَرَّتَيْنِ ثُمَّ لَا يَتُوبُونَ وَلَا هُمْ يَذَّكَّرُونَSee they not that they are tried every year once or twice? Yet they turn not in repentance, and they take no heed.
12:49
ثُمَّ يَأْتِى مِنۢ بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ عَامٌ فِيهِ يُغَاثُ ٱلنَّاسُ وَفِيهِ يَعْصِرُونَ"Then will come after that (period) a year in which the people will have abundant water, and in which they will press (wine and oil)."
29:14
وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا نُوحًا إِلَىٰ قَوْمِهِۦ فَلَبِثَ فِيهِمْ أَلْفَ سَنَةٍ إِلَّا خَمْسِينَ عَامًا فَأَخَذَهُمُ ٱلطُّوفَانُ وَهُمْ ظَـٰلِمُونَWe (once) sent Noah to his people, and he tarried among them a thousand years less fifty: but the Deluge overwhelmed them while they (persisted in) sin.
31:14
وَوَصَّيْنَا ٱلْإِنسَـٰنَ بِوَٰلِدَيْهِ حَمَلَتْهُ أُمُّهُۥ وَهْنًا عَلَىٰ وَهْنٍ وَفِصَـٰلُهُۥ فِى عَامَيْنِ أَنِ ٱشْكُرْ لِى وَلِوَٰلِدَيْكَ إِلَىَّ ٱلْمَصِيرُAnd We have enjoined on man (to be good) to his parents: in travail upon travail did his mother bear him, and in years twain was his weaning: (hear the command), "Show gratitude to Me and to thy parents: to Me is (thy final) Goal.
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 year syn. سَنَةٌ : (S, K;) or حَوْلٌ ; [not سَنَةٌ ; for] El. Jawáleekee says, the common people do not distinguish between the عام and the سنه , making them both to have the same meaning; but the right state of the case is what I have been told on the authority of Ahmad Ibn-Yahyà [i. e. Th], that the سنه is from any day from which one commences a reckoning to the like thereof, and the عام is only [a period of] a winter and a summer; and it is also said in the T and in the Bári that the عام is a حَوْل that makes an end of a winter and a summer, so that every عام is a سنة , but every سنة is not an عام ; for when you reckon from a day to the like thereof, that is a سنة , and there may be in it half of the summer. and half of the winter, whereas the عام is only a winter and a summer, without interruption: (Msb, MF: *) Er-Rághib mentions a difference in the uses of the words عَامٌ and سَنَةٌ [as has been stated in art. سنو and سنى : see سَنَةٌ in that art.] and Suh says, in the R, that the سنة is longer than the عام ; that the former is “ a single revolution of the sun; ” and that the latter is applied to the [twelve] Arabian months [collectively]: it is said to be called عام because of the sun's عَوْم [or coursing] through all of its zodiacal signs [during the period which it denotes]: (TA:) its pl. is أَعْوامٌ , (S, Msb, K,) because the sing. is originally of the measure فَعَلٌ [i. e. عَوَمٌ ]: (Msb:) it has no other pl. than this. (TA.) One says, لقِيتُهُ عَامًا أَوَّلَ [I met him in a former year; generally meaning, the year immediately preceding, or, as we say, last year]; making the last word imperfectly decl. as being an epithet [and of the measure of a verb]: and لَقِتُهُ عَامًا أَوَّلًا [I met him in a year before: generally meaning the same as the phrase preceding]; making the last word perfectly decl. as not being an epithet [but an adv.n. and K in art. وأل ) or the meaning is, in a year] before this year; even if it be by a number of years: ('Alee El-Kári, on the authority of Seer, in a marginal note in my MS. copy of the K, art. اول :) and one says also, accord. to AZ and IAar, لَقَيتُهُ عَامَ الأَوَّلِ ; (TA in art. وأل ;) or the is rarely said; (K and TA in that art.;) or should not be said; (ISk, S and TA in that art.;) nor should one say, لَقَيتُهُ عَامَ أَوَّلَ (ISk TA in the present art.) And [in like manner] one says, ما رَأَيْتُهُ مُذْ عَامٌ أَوَّلُ , putting the last word in the nom case as being an epithet, (S and K in art. وأل ,) as though he said أَوَّلُ مِنْ عَامِنَا [i. e. I have not seen him since a year preceding this one year]; (S in that art.;) and مُذْ عَامٌ أَوَّلَ , putting the last word in the accus. case as an adv n., (S and K * in that art.,) as though he said مُذْ عامٌ قَبْلَ عَامِنَا [since a year before this our year]; (S in that art.;) and مُذْعَامًا أَوَّلَ and مُذْ عَامُ الأَوَّلِ are also mentioned by different authors (L in art, منذ ) And [using the dim. form] one says, العُوَيْمِ لَقِتُهُ ذَاتَ i. e. [I met him] in the course of some years; like as one says, لَقِيتُهُ ذَاتَ الزُّمَيْنِ , and ذَاتَ مَرَّةٍ : (S:) or the meaning is, (some few years ago; or] three years ago or more, to ten: (AZ, Az, TA:) and it is like the saying, لَقِيتُهُ مُنْذُ سُنَيَّاتٍ : the fem. form is used because they mean by it مَرَّة وَاحِدَة . (Az, TA.) One says also نَاقَةٌ بَازِلُ عَامٍ and بَازِلُ عَامِهَا [A she-camel that has passed a year, and her year, after cutting her tush], (TA,) and بازِل عَامَيْنِ that has passed two years after cutting the tush. (MF and TA in art. بزل .) See also عَامَةٌ , in two places. It is also said in the K that العَامُ signifies النَّهَارُ : but this is a mistake and a mistranscription it is العَيَامُ ; and its place is art. عيم ; as it as mentioned by Az, on the authority of El-Muärrij, (TA.)