Core sense — a star's auroral setting or rising; the rain from it; herbage; a giftgenerated
1
Plural أَنْوَآءٌ and نُوآنٌ.
A star, or an asterism, verging to setting. Or: the setting of the star, or asterism, in the west, aurorally, at dawn of morning, and the rising of another, opposite to it, at the same time, in the east.
Or: the setting, in the west, aurorally, at dawn of morning, of one of the stars, or asterisms, which make up the Mansions [of the Moon ], and the rising, at the same time, in the east, of its رَقِيب, which is another star, or asterism, opposite to it, each night for a period of thirteen days. Each star, or asterism, of those Mansions does this, one after another, to the end of the year, except الجَبْهَة, whose period is fourteen days.
[Or it means the auroral rising, and sometimes the auroral setting, of one of those stars, or asterisms, as will be shown below. I do not say “heliacal” rising, because the rising meant here continues for a period of thirteen days.]
According to the T, نوء means the setting of one of the stars, or asterisms, mentioned above; and AHn says that it means its first setting in the morning, when the stars are about to disappear, which is when the whiteness of dawn spreads.
A'Obeyd says: I have not heard نوء used in the sense of “setting” or “falling” except in this instance.
It is added, though it is doubtful whether on his authority or another's, that the [pagan] Arabs used to attribute the rains and winds and heat and cold to whichever of the stars, or asterisms, mentioned above was setting at the time [aurorally]; or, according to As, to the one that was rising in its ascendency [aurorally]. They used to say مُطِرْنَا بِنَوْءِ كَذَا [We have been given rain by such a نوء]; or they attributed heat [and cold] to the rising of the star or asterism, and rain [and wind] to its نَوْء [meaning its setting].
The Muslim is forbidden to say this, unless he means by it, “We have been given rain at the period of such a نوء,” God having made it usual for rain to come at [certain of] the periods called انواء.
A'Obeyd also says: the انواء are twenty-eight stars, or asterisms; singular نوء. The rising of any one of them in the east [aurorally] is called نوء, and the star, or asterism, itself is for this reason called by that name; but sometimes نوء means the setting.
In the L it is said that each of the stars, or asterisms, mentioned above is called this because, when the one in the west sets, the opposite one rises, and this rising is called النّوء; but some make نوء mean the setting, as though it carried two contrary senses.
[El-Kazweenee mentions certain physical events at the times of the انواء of the Mansions of the Moon; and in each of these cases, except three, the نوء is the rising, not the setting. Two of the excepted cases are doubtful. The passage relating to the third clearly states an event that happens at the period of the auroral setting of الصَّرْفَة, namely the beginning of the days called أَيَّامُ العَجُوزِ, corresponding, according to El-Makreezee, with the rising of الفَرْغُ المُقَدَّمُ, the رقيب of الصرفة; and it is said in the S, art. عجز, on the authority of Ibn-Kunáseh, that the ايّام العجوز fall at the period of the نوء of الصرفة. (The auroral setting of الصرفة at the beginning of the era of the Flight, in central Arabia, happened about the 9th of March O. S.; and this is the day of the N. S., the 26th of February O. S., on which the ايّام العجوز begin according to the modern Egyptian almanacs.) So it appears that sometimes the setting, but generally the rising, was called the نوء.]
Moreover, the ancient Arabs had twenty-eight proverbial sayings, quoted in the Mir-át ez-Zemán and in the work of El-Kazweenee, about the risings of the twenty-eight Mansions of the Moon, such as this: إِذَا طَلَعَ الشَّرَطَانْ إِسْتَوَى الزَّمَانْ “When Esh-Sharatán rises, the season becomes temperate”: or, perhaps,
1.1
“the night and day become equal.” (If this second meaning could be proved to be the right one, we might infer that the Calendar of the Mansions of the Moon was in use more than twelve centuries B. C., and that for this reason الشرطان was called the first of the Mansions; though it may have been first called so at a later period, as being the first Mansion in the first Sign of the Zodiac. But I return to what I had more immediately in view in mentioning the sayings above.)
I do not find any of these sayings relating to the settings, though others, I believe, do. So again it appears most probable that the rising, not the setting, was generally called نوء.
1.2the Mansions of the Moon themselves—الأَنْوَآءُ
They are also called نُجُومُ المَطَرِ [the stars, or asterisms, of rain]. This is said in art. خطأ.
any one of those Mansions—نَوْءٌ
So in many instances.
IAar says that the term نوء was applied only to a star, or asterism, accompanied by rain. [See examples under خَطَّ and خَطَّأَ. But most authors, it seems, apply the term without that restriction; it is sometimes given to stars or asterisms which do not belong to the Mansions of the Moon, as will be seen below; and with the article it is applied especially to الثُّرَيَّا.]
1.3
According to AZ, as cited by AM, the first rain is the one called الوَسْمِىُّ; its انواء are those called العَرْقُوَتَانِ المُؤَخَّرَتَان, the same, AM says, as الفَرْغُ المُؤَخَّرُ. [This is the 27th Mansion of the Moon, which, about the period of the beginning of the era of the Flight (to which period, or thereabout, the calculation of AZ given here most probably relates), set aurorally in central Arabia on the 21st of September O. S. — for by the term نوء AZ means a star or asterism at whose setting rain usually falls — as shown in the observations on the منازل القمر in this lexicon.]
Then الشَّرَطُ. [One of the شَرَطَانِ, the 1st Mansion, which, about the period mentioned above, set aurorally on the 17th of October.]
Then الثُّرَيَّا. [The 3rd Mansion, which, about that period, set on the 12th of November.]
Then comes the rain called الشَّتَوِىُّ; its انواء are الجَوْزَاءُ. [Meaning الهَقْعَةُ, the 5th Mansion, which, about the period mentioned above, set aurorally on the 8th of December.]
Then الذِّرَاعَانِ. [That is, الذِّرَاعُ المَقْبُوضَةُ and الدِّرَاعُ المَبْسُوطَةُ; the former of which, about the same period, set anti-heliacally on the 3rd of January, the proper relative time of the setting of the 7th Mansion, and the latter on the 16th of January, the proper relative time of the setting of the 8th Mansion.]
And their نَثْرَة. [The 8th Mansion, which, about that period, set aurorally on the 16th of January.]
Then الجَبْهَةُ. [The 10th Mansion, which set aurorally, about that period, on the 11th of February.]
In this period the شتوى rain ends, and the one called الدَّفَئِىُّ begins, and [after this] الصَّيْفُ.
All the rains from the وسمى to the دفئى are called رَبِيعٌ.
Then, [after the دفئى,] comes the صَيْف, whose انواء are السِّمَاكَانِ. [The former is, according to El-Kazweenee, the 14th Mansion, which, about the period mentioned above, set aurorally on the 4th of April; the latter seems to be the رقيب of الثريّا, that is, الإِكْلِيلُ, the 17th Mansion, which, about the same period, set aurorally on the 13th of May: a period of about forty days.]
Then comes الحَميمُ, said by some to be a period of about twenty nights, beginning at the [auroral] rising of الدَّبَرَان [at the epoch of the Flight about the 26th of May, O. S.], and having [little rain, or none, and therefore said to have] no نوء.
Then comes الخَريفُ, [a period of little rain,] whose انواء are النَّسْرَانِ. [Or the two vultures, النَّسْرُ الوَاقِعُ and النَّسْرُ الطَّائِرُ, which, in central Arabia, about the period mentioned above, set aurorally on the 24th of July, O. S., both together.]
Then الخضر. [I have not been able to identify this with any known star or asterism; in the TT it has صح written above it, to show that it is correctly transcribed.]
Then العَرْقُوَتَانِ الأُولَيانِ, the same, AM says, as الفَرْغُ المُقَدَّمُ, the 26th Mansion, which, about the same period, set on the 8th of September.
1.4figurative · مجاز — inferredthe supposed effect of a star, or asterism, so called in bringing rain and the like—نَوْءٌ
it has no effect upon the weather—لَا نَوْءَ لَهُ
Said of a particular star or asterism. See البُطَيْنُ.
1.5figurative · مجازthe herbage dried up—جَفُّ النَّوْءُ
Also rain following the annual setting or rising of a star so called; so in many instances in Kzw's account of the Mansions of the Moon.
Also herbs, or herbage: so called because regarded as the result of what is [more properly] termed نوء [that is, the auroral setting or rising of a star or asterism, or the rain supposed to be produced by it].
Also a gift, or present.
Show Lane's original text
, pl. أَنْوَآءٌ and نُوآنٌ , (S, K,) A star, or an asterism, verging to setting: or the setting of the star, or asterism, in the west, aurorally, i. e., at dawn of morning, and the rising of another, opposite to it, at the same time, in the east: (K:) or the setting of one of the stars, or asterisms, which compose the Mansions [of the Moon (see مَنَازِلُ القَمَرِ )], in the west, aurorally, i. e., at dawn of morining, and the rising of its رَقِيب , which is another star, or asterism, opposite to it, at the same time, in the east, each night for a period of thirteen days: thus does each star, or asterism, of those Mansions, [one after another,] to the end of the year, except الجَبْهَة , the period of which is fourteen days: (S:) [or it signifies the auroral rising, and sometimes the auroral setting, of one of those stars, or asterisms; as will be shown below: I do not say “ heliacal ” rising because the rising here meant continues for a period of thirteen days]. Accord. to the T, نوء signifies the setting of one of the stars, or asterisms, above mentioned: and AHn says, that it signifies its first setting in the morning, when the stars are about to disappear; which is when the whiteness of dawn diffuses itself. (TA.) A'Obeyd says, I have not heard نوء used in the sense of “ setting, ” “ falling, ” except in this instance. (S.) It is added, [whether on his or another's authority is doubtful,] that the [pagan] Arabs used to attribute the rains and winds and heat and cold to such of the stars, or asterisms, above mentioned as was setting at the time [aurorally]; or, accord. to As, to that which was rising in its ascendency [aurorally]; and used to say, مُطِرْنَا بِنَوْءِ كَذَا [We have been given rain by such a نوء ]; (S;) or they attributed heat [and cold] to the rising or the star or asterism, and rain [and wind], to its نَوْء [meaning its setting]. (AHn, Har, p. 216.) This the Muslim is forbidden to say, unless he mean thereby, “ We have been given rain at the period of such a نوء ; ” God having made it usual for rain to come at [certain of] the periods called انواء . Again, A'Obeyd says, The انواء are twenty-eight stars, or asterisms; sing. نوء : the rising of any one of them in the east [aurorally] is called نوء ; and the star, or asterism, itself is hence thus called: but sometimes نوء signifies the setting. Also, in the L it is said, that each of the abovementioned stars, or asterisms, is called thus because, when that in the west sets, the opposite one rises; and this rising is called النّوء ; but some make نوء to signify the setting; as if it bore contr. senses. (TA.) [El-Kazweenee mentions certain physical occurrences on the occasions of the انواء of the Mansions of the Moon; and in each of these cases, except three, the نوء is the rising, not the setting. Two of the excepted cases are doubtful: the passage relating to the third plainly expresses an event which happens at the period of the auroral setting of الصَّرْفَة ; namely the commencement of the days called أَيَّامُ العَجُوزِ ; corresponding, accord. to ElMakreezee, with the rising of الفَرْغُ المُقَدَّمُ , the رقيب of الصرفة : and it is said in the S, art. عجز , on the authority of Ibn-Kunáseh, that the ايّام العجوز fall at the period of the نوء of الصرفة . (The auroral setting of الصرفة , at the commencement of the era of the Flight, in central Arabia, happened about the 9th of March O. S.; and this is the day of the N. S., the 26th of February O. S., on which commence the ايّام العجوز accord. to the modern Egyptian almanacs.) Hence it appears, that sometimes the setting, but generally the rising, was called the نوء . Moreover, the ancient Arabs had twenty-eight proverbial sayings (which are quoted in the Mir-át ez-Zemán, and in the work of El-Kazweenee) relating to the risings of the twenty-eight Mansions of the Moon: such as this: إِذَا طَلَعَ الشَّرَطَانْ إِسْتَوَى الزَّمَانْ “ When Esh-Sharatán rises, the season becomes temperate: ” or, perhaps, “ the night and day, become equal. ” (If this latter meaning could be proved to be the right one, we might infer that the Calendar of the Mansions of the Moon was in use more than twelve centuries B. c.; and that for this reason الشرطان was called the first of the mansions; though it may have been first so called at a later period as being the first Mansion in the first Sign of the Zodiac. But I return to the more immediate object which I had in view in mentioning the foregoing sayings.) I do not find any of these sayings (though others, I believe, do) relating to the settings. Hence, again, it appears most probable, that the rising, not the setting, was generally called نوء .] [In many instances,] الأَنْوَآءُ signifies The Mansions of the Moon [themselves]; and نَوْءٌ , any one of those Mansions: and they are also called نُجُومُ المَطَرِ [the stars, or asterisms, of rain]. (Mgh, in art. خطأ .) IAar says that the term نوء was not applied except in the case of a star, or asterism, accompanied by rain: (TA:) [see exs. under خَطَّ and خَطَّأَ : but most authors, it seems, apply this term without such restriction: it is sometimes given to certain stars or asterisms, which do not belong to the Mansions of the Moon; as will be seen below: and it is applied, with the article, especially to الثُّرَيَّا ]. Accord. to AZ, as cited by AM, the first rain is that called الوَسْمِىُّ : the انواء of which are those called العَرْقُوَتَانِ المُؤَخَّرَتَان , the same, says AM, as الفَرْغُ المُؤَخَّرُ , [the 27th Mansion of the Moon, which, about the period of the commencement of the era of the Flight, (to which period, or thereabout, the calculation of AZ, here given, most probably relates,) set aurorally, (for by the term نوء AZ means a star or asterism, at the setting of which rain usually falls,) in central Arabia, on the 21st of Sept. O. S, as shewn in the observations on the منازل القمر in this lexicon]: then, الشَّرَطُ , [one of the شَرَطَانِ , the 1st Mansion, which, about the period above mentioned, set aurorally on the 17th of Oct.]: then, الثُّرَيَّا , [the 3rd Mansion, which, about that period, set on the 12th of Nov.]. Then comes the rain called الشَّتَوِىُّ : the انواء of which are الجَوْزَاءُ [meaning الهَقْعَةُ , the 5th Mansion, which, about the period above mentioned, set aurorally on the 8th of Dec.] then, الذِّرَاعَانِ , [i. e. الذِّرَاعُ المَقْبُوضَةُ and الدِّرَاعُ المَبْسُوطَةُ ; the former of which, about the same period, set anti-heliacally on the 3rd of January, the proper relative time of the setting of the 7th Mansion; and the latter, on the 16th of January, the proper relative time of the setting of the 8th Mansion;] and their نَثْرَة , [the 8th Mansion, which, about that period, set aurorally on the 16th of Jan.]: then, الجَبْهَةُ , [the 10th Mansion, which set aurorally, about that period, on the 11th of Feb.] In this period the شتوى rain ends; and that called الدَّفَئِىُّ (q. v.) begins, and [after this] الصَّيْفُ . All the rains from the وسمى to the دفئى are called رَبِيعٌ . Then, [after the دفئى ,] comes the صَيْف : the انواء of which are السِّمَاكَانِ ( الأَعْزَلُ and الرَّقِيبُ ); [the former of which is, accord. to El-Kazweenee, the 14th Mansion, which, about the period above mentioned, set aurorally on the 4th of April: the latter seems to be the رقيب of الثريّا (see رقيب ): i. e. الإِكْلِيلُ , the 17th Mansion, which, about the same period, set aurorally on the 13th of May; a period of about forty days. Then comes الحَميمُ . [see this word, said by some to be] a period of about twenty nights, commencing at the [auroral] rising of الدَّبَرَان , [at the epoch of the Flight about the 26th of May, O. S.,] which has [little rain, or none, and is therefore said to have] no نوء . Then comes الخَريفُ [a period of little rain the انواء of which are النَّسْرَانِ [or the two vultures, النَّسْرُ الوَاقِعُ and النَّسْرُ الطَّائِرُ , which, in central Arabia, about the period above mentioned, set aurorally on the 24th of July, O. S., both together]: then, الخضر , [which I have not been able to identify with any known star or asterism, in the TT with صح written above it, to denote its being correctly transcribed]: then, العَرْقُوَتَانِ الأُولَيانِ , the same says AM, as الفَرْغُ المُقَدَّمُ , the 26th Mansion, which, about the same period, set on the 8th of Sept.]. (T, TT, TA. *) [Hence,] نَوْءٌ [also means The supposed effect of a star or asterism so termed in bringing rain &c.: whence the phrase لَا نَوْءَ لَهُ It has no effect upon the weather; said of a particular star or asterism: see البُطَيْنُ . Also. Rain consequent upon the annual setting or rising of a star so termed so in many instances in Kzw's account of the Mansions of the Moon.] And Herbs, or herbage: so called because regarded as the consequence of what is [more properly] termed نوء : [i. e., the auroral setting or rising of a star or asterism, or the rain supposed to be produced thereby.] Ex. جَفُّ النَّوْءُ The herbage dried up. (IKt.) Also, A gift, or present. (K.)