Quranic root
عزز
ʿ · z · z
A root oriented toward firmness, strength, power, and resistance, with related extensions involving overcoming, elevation, honor, and difficulty of access.
The semantic field develops from being strong or hard to overcoming another, conferring strength or honor, being invulnerable or difficult to attain, and, in physical descriptions, hardness, compactness, or restricted flow.
- Maqāyīs · row 3192
- Mufradāt · row 968
- 7
- Quran-attested forms
- 12
- Quran senses
- 119
- Quran occurrences
Forms in the Quran
The forms this root actually takes in the Quran. Select one to jump to its senses and examples.
عَزَّ
ʿazza
- Part of speech
- Verb · Form I
- Form
- I
- Quran occurrences
- 1 occurrence
Selected examples are shown with the sense they illustrate — chosen to teach that sense, not the complete list of this form’s Quran occurrences.
To overcome or prevail over someone in an argument or dispute.
In the Quranic expression عَزَّنِي فِي الْخِطَابِ, the verb describes gaining the upper hand in verbal contention.
- Lane · entry 3021
- Mufradāt · row 968
Selected Quran examples
Quran 38:23word 13
“and he overpowered me”
عَزَّزَ
ʿazzaza
- Part of speech
- Verb · Form II
- Form
- II
- Quran occurrences
- 1 occurrence
Selected examples are shown with the sense they illustrate — chosen to teach that sense, not the complete list of this form’s Quran occurrences.
To strengthen, reinforce, or render mighty.
The Quranic construction فَعَزَّزْنَا بِثَالِثٍ describes reinforcing a group by means of a third person.
- Lane · entry 3022
Selected Quran examples
Quran 36:14word 6
“so We strengthened them”
أَعَزَّ
ʾaʿazza
- Part of speech
- Verb · Form IV
- Form
- IV
- Quran occurrences
- 1 occurrence
Selected examples are shown with the sense they illustrate — chosen to teach that sense, not the complete list of this form’s Quran occurrences.
To confer might, honor, or elevated standing upon someone.
In تُعِزُّ مَنْ تَشَاءُ, the verb is contrasted with يُذِلُّ and denotes granting a person might or honor.
- Lane · entry 3024
- Lane · entry 3022
- Mufradāt · row 968
Selected Quran examples
Quran 3:26word 13
“and You honor”
أَعَزُّ
ʾaʿazzu
- Part of speech
- Adjective · Comparative
- Quran occurrences
- 3 occurrences
Selected examples are shown with the sense they illustrate — chosen to teach that sense, not the complete list of this form’s Quran occurrences.
Mightier, stronger, or more honorable.
A comparative form used in comparisons of power, strength, or honor.
- Lane · entry 3042
Selected Quran examples
عَزِيز
ʿazīz
- Part of speech
- Adjective / Noun
- Quran occurrences
- 101 occurrences
Selected examples are shown with the sense they illustrate — chosen to teach that sense, not the complete list of this form’s Quran occurrences.
Mighty, powerful, invincible, or unconquerable.
Used broadly as an adjective and as a divine name; when applied to God, it denotes the One who overcomes all and is not overcome.
- Lane · entry 3036
- Mufradāt · row 968
Selected Quran examples
Quran 14:4word 18
“(is) the All-Mighty”
Severe, difficult, distressing, or grievous.
In عَزِيزٌ عَلَيْهِ مَا عَنِتُّمْ, the construction means that what burdens or troubles others is grievous to him; the same adjective can describe severe circumstances.
- Lane · entry 3036
- Mufradāt · row 968
Selected Quran examples
Quran 9:128word 6
“Grievous”
Inimitable, secure, and not liable to be nullified or corrupted.
In كِتَابٌ عَزِيزٌ, the adjective characterizes the Book as mighty, inaccessible to imitation, and protected from invalidation or corruption.
- Lane · entry 3036
- Mufradāt · row 968
Selected Quran examples
Quran 41:41word 9
“mighty”
A ruler or royal official; in the Joseph narrative, the title of the ruler of Egypt.
A conventional title in the expression الْعَزِيز, rather than an ordinary descriptive adjective.
- Lane · entry 3036
- Mufradāt · row 968
Selected Quran examples
Quran 12:78word 3
“Aziz”
Firm, unyielding, or proud in dealing with opponents.
In أَعِزَّةٍ عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ, the quality is paired with gentleness toward believers and describes resolute, non-submissive conduct toward unbelievers.
- Lane · entry 3036
Selected Quran examples
Quran 5:54word 18
“(and) stern”
عِزّ
ʿizz
- Part of speech
- Noun
- Quran occurrences
- 1 occurrence
Selected examples are shown with the sense they illustrate — chosen to teach that sense, not the complete list of this form’s Quran occurrences.
Might, power, honor, or protective strength.
In لِيَكُونُوا لَهُمْ عِزًّا, the noun denotes a sought source of power or protection, including protection from punishment.
- Lane · entry 3030
- Mufradāt · row 968
Selected Quran examples
Quran 19:81word 8
“an honor”
عِزَّة
ʿizzah
- Part of speech
- Noun
- Quran occurrences
- 11 occurrences
Selected examples are shown with the sense they illustrate — chosen to teach that sense, not the complete list of this form’s Quran occurrences.
Might, honor, dignity, or inviolable standing.
Used of the lasting might and honor attributed to God, His Messenger, and believers, and as the quality sought or possessed by a community.
- Lane · entry 3030
- Lane · entry 3032
- Mufradāt · row 968
Selected Quran examples
Quran 35:10word 4
“the honor”
Quran 38:82word 2
“Then by Your might”
Self-exalting pride, haughtiness, or obstinate self-importance.
A blameworthy use, especially in أَخَذَتْهُ الْعِزَّةُ بِالْإِثْمِ and فِي عِزَّةٍ وَشِقَاقٍ; it denotes asserted superiority rather than genuine, enduring honor.
- Lane · entry 3030
- Mufradāt · row 968
Selected Quran examples
Quran 2:206word 7
“(his) pride”
Occurrences in the Quran
Every place this root appears, in Quran order. The first few are shown here.
- 2:129ٱلْعَزِيزُthe All-Mighty
- 2:206ٱلْعِزَّةُ(his) pride
- 2:209عَزِيزٌ(is) All-Mighty
- 2:220عَزِيزٌ(is) All-Mighty
- 2:228عَزِيزٌ(is) All-Mighty
Broader Classical Arabic meanings
Recorded for this root in the Classical lexicons beyond its Quran usage. These are secondary to the Quran senses above.
Show 41 Classical meanings
عَزَّ
To become mighty, powerful, elevated in rank, noble, or honorable, especially after weakness or low status.
An intransitive Form I use describing acquired or restored strength, potency, elevation, or social standing.
- Lane · entry 3021
عَزَّ عَلَيْهِ
To surpass someone in nobility or generosity.
A construction describing superiority in personal excellence rather than physical strength.
- Lane · entry 3021
عَزَّ
To magnify or exalt oneself; to become disdainful, scornful, or blamefully indignant.
A figurative and blameworthy self-directed use.
- Lane · entry 3021
عَزَّ
To become weak.
An attested contrary sense of the otherwise strength-oriented Form I verb.
- Lane · entry 3021
عَزَّ عَلَيْهِ
To distress, afflict, or weigh heavily upon someone.
Usually followed by عَلَى and an event or circumstance; it can express grief, difficulty, or indignation at what has occurred.
- Lane · entry 3021
عَزَّ الشَّيْءُ
To become difficult, hard, impossible, insuperable, or unattainable.
Said of a thing or undertaking that cannot readily be overcome or achieved.
- Lane · entry 3021
- Maqāyīs · row 3192
عَزَّ الشَّيْءُ
To become rare, scarce, or hard to find; hence to be highly valued or dear.
The rarity sense concerns limited availability, while the derived valuation concerns what is prized because it is uncommon.
- Lane · entry 3021
- Lane · entry 3036
عَزَّهُ
To aid or help someone.
A transitive use distinct from overcoming an opponent.
- Lane · entry 3021
عَزَّ الْمَاءُ
For water to flow.
A physical use describing the movement of water.
- Lane · entry 3021
عَزَّتِ الْقَرْحَةُ
For a wound or pustule to discharge its contents.
Said of the wound or pustule as it releases what is within it.
- Lane · entry 3021
عَزُوزٌ / عَزَّتِ الشَّاةُ
Of a she-camel, ewe, or goat: to have constricted teats and yield little milk.
A livestock expression concerning restricted milk flow; it is also used figuratively of a wealthy but niggardly person.
- Lane · entry 3021
- Lane · entry 3033
- Lane · entry 3035
أَعَزَّتِ الْبَقَرَةُ
Of a cow: to have difficult or abnormal gestation.
A Form IV livestock use with disagreement in the reports over whether the gestation is merely difficult or specifically bad.
- Lane · entry 3024
أَعَزَّتِ الشَّاةُ
Of a goat or ewe: to show pregnancy and become enlarged in the udder.
A livestock use describing visible pregnancy or the associated enlargement of the udder.
- Lane · entry 3024
عَزَّزَ
For rain to make earth compact, coherent, and hard.
The object is land or ground made firm so that feet do not sink into it.
- Lane · entry 3022
عَزَّزَ بِهِمْ / مُعَزَّزٌ
To treat people with hardness, severity, or rigor rather than indulgence.
A transitive or passive construction describing strict treatment.
- Lane · entry 3022
- Lane · entry 3045
أَعَزَّ
To love someone.
A reported Form IV sense qualified in the source as weak or less firmly established.
- Lane · entry 3024
أَعَزَّ
To enter or travel through hard ground of the type called عَزَاز.
The verb describes being or journeying in such terrain.
- Lane · entry 3024
تَعَزَّزَ
To strengthen or fortify oneself; to draw strength or energy from something.
The form may describe relying on divine strength or exerting one's own energy.
- Lane · entry 3025
تَعَزَّزَ
To magnify or harden oneself and behave proudly or harshly toward others; to glory or pride oneself in someone or something.
A reflexive or figurative use involving self-assertion, pride, or reliance on a source of prestige.
- Lane · entry 3025
تَعَزَّى، أصله تَعَزَّزَ
To force oneself to endure the loss or absence of someone or something patiently.
A conventional development in which exerting one's strength becomes consoling oneself and bearing a loss.
- Lane · entry 3025
تَعَزَّزَ لَحْمُ النَّاقَةِ
For the flesh of a she-camel to become hard or tough.
A physical use describing the texture of flesh.
- Lane · entry 3025
اِعْتَزَّ بِهِ
To reckon oneself strong or mighty by means of another person or thing.
The preposition بِ identifies the person or resource regarded as a source of strength.
- Lane · entry 3026
- Lane · entry 3048
اِسْتَعَزَّ بِهِ الْمَرَضُ
For disease to become violent or severe and overcome someone; by extension, for someone to be overcome by illness or die.
The passive form describes a person overcome by disease; the active construction presents the disease as prevailing over him.
- Lane · entry 3027
- Lane · entry 3046
- Lane · entry 3049
اِسْتَعَزَّ الرَّمْلُ
For sand or another loose material to hold together or cohere instead of pouring down.
A physical use describing compacted or self-supporting sand and similar material.
- Lane · entry 3027
عِزّ
Resistance, invincibility, or the quality of not being overcome; hence the difficulty or impossibility of overcoming or attaining something.
A nominal branch emphasizing resistance and inaccessibility rather than honor as a social quality.
- Lane · entry 3030
عِزّ
Vehement or copious rain, and an overpowering torrent.
Applied to rain or a torrent that is forceful and overwhelming.
- Lane · entry 3030
عَزًّا بَزًّا
Compelled or brought about without any means of avoiding it, willingly or unwillingly.
A fixed idiom conveying unavoidable compulsion, originally associated with being overcome and despoiled.
- Lane · entry 3029
عَزَّة
The female young one of a gazelle.
A separate nominal homonym distinguished by its short vowel pattern from عِزَّة.
- Lane · entry 3031
عَزِيز
Difficult, impossible, or unattainable; resistant to being overcome.
A broader adjectival branch of عزيز concerning inaccessibility or insuperability.
- Lane · entry 3036
عَزِيز
Rare, scarce, extraordinary, or highly valued.
The sense extends from rarity to something dear or esteemed because it is uncommon or unequalled.
- Lane · entry 3036
عَزِيز
Rough, proud, disdainful, or scornful in manner.
A descriptive adjectival use of personal bearing, distinct from the Quranic paired conduct toward believers and unbelievers.
- Lane · entry 3036
عَزَازٌ / مَعْزُوزَةٌ
Hard, firm, rugged ground, especially ground on which rain quickly runs off.
مَعْزُوزَةٌ may also describe ground made compact and hard by heavy rain; the terrain is often at the borders or elevated parts of a tract.
- Lane · entry 3034
- Lane · entry 3047
- Maqāyīs · row 3192
عَزَازَةٌ
A small watercourse of a valley, shorter than a مِذْنَب.
A geographical or topographical term for a short runoff channel.
- Lane · entry 3037
حَبُّ الْعَزِيزِ
The small sweet tubers of cyperus esculentus, or the plant producing them.
A later technical or common name for the tuber and plant.
- Lane · entry 3036
عَزِيزَة
An eagle.
A rare lexical use, with variant reports connecting the word to a bird that has gone far from its pursuer or to a dark-colored bird.
- Lane · entry 3038
عُزَيْزَى / عُزَيْزَاءُ
The extremity or anatomical region of a horse's hip or haunch, including the part between the tail-root and the posterior cleft.
The terms may also denote a sinew extending from the rectum to the hip; their dual forms preserve the distinction in reference.
- Lane · entry 3039
الْعُزَّى
The name of a pre-Islamic idol, associated with Quraysh and other Arab groups; also associated with a sacred acacia tree.
A proper name with variant accounts of its cult site and form; it is not the ordinary comparative adjective.
- Lane · entry 3042
- Lane · entry 3040
الْمُعِزّ
The One who grants might or honor to whomever He wills among His servants.
A divine name formed from the Form IV causative pattern.
- Lane · entry 3043
مَعَزَّة
A cause or means of might, honor, or strengthening.
An analogically derived noun for that which produces عزّ.
- Lane · entry 3044
مُعْتَزّ
One who reckons himself strong or empowered through another.
The participial form corresponds to اِعْتَزَّ بِهِ.
- Lane · entry 3048
مُعْتَزَّة
Of a mare: having thick and strong flesh.
A physical adjectival use applied to an animal's build.
- Lane · entry 3048
Cautions
Points that affect how this root should be read.
عَزِيزٌ has several Quran-attested uses: general might, a title in the Joseph narrative, grievousness in عَزِيزٌ عَلَيْهِ, the characterization of the Book, and resolute conduct toward opponents; these should not be collapsed into a single English gloss.
Several Lane citations use historical bracketed references; no such notation has been converted into a modern verse location without an independently supplied QAC location.
Unassigned or ambiguous evidence
The reported Form IV sense أَعَزَّ meaning “to love” is retained as a broader Classical meaning but is qualified in the evidence as weak.
Lane reports variant interpretations for the Form IV livestock uses concerning gestation and pregnancy; they are represented as distinct qualified lexical branches rather than forced into one interpretation.