Quranic root
غضض
gh · ḍ · ḍ
The root has two principal semantic axes: restraint or reduction, and freshness or tenderness.
The restraint axis extends from lowering the gaze or voice to diminishing quantities and curbing actions; the other axis describes things that are fresh, tender, moist, flourishing, or newly emerged.
- Maqāyīs · row 3423
- 1
- Quran-attested forms
- 2
- Quran senses
- 4
- Quran occurrences
Forms in the Quran
The forms this root actually takes in the Quran. Select one to jump to its senses and examples.
غَضَّ
ghaḍḍa
- Part of speech
- Verb · Form I
- Form
- I
- Quran occurrences
- 4 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.
To lower, restrain, or reduce one’s gaze.
Used with the eyes or gaze; in the Quranic construction with مِنْ, it denotes limiting or turning the gaze away from what is prohibited. It may involve contracting the eyelids or directing the eyes downward.
- Lane · entry 29382
- Mufradāt · row 1054
Selected Quran examples
Quran 24:30word 3
“they should lower”
To lower or diminish the loudness of one’s voice.
Used with صَوْتٌ or مِنْ صَوْتٍ; the construction denotes reducing vocal loudness rather than necessarily becoming silent.
- Lane · entry 29382
- Mufradāt · row 1054
Selected Quran examples
Quran 31:19word 4
“and lower”
Quran 49:3word 3
“lower”
Occurrences in the Quran
Every place this root appears, in Quran order. The first few are shown here.
- 24:30يَغُضُّوا۟they should lower
- 24:31يَغْضُضْنَ(that) they should lower
- 31:19وَٱغْضُضْand lower
- 49:3يَغُضُّونَlower
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 25 Classical meanings
غَضَّ
To contract the eyelids, blink, or look downward or languidly; sometimes, to display abasement.
A physical or expressive use concerning the eyes, distinct from the Quranic injunction to restrain the gaze.
- Lane · entry 29382
غَضَّ
To bear disagreeable or hateful matters with forgiveness and silence.
A figurative extension of restraining or withholding a response.
- Lane · entry 29382
غَضَّ مِنْ لِجَامِ فَرَسِهِ
To lower a horse’s rein.
The action is performed to lessen the horse’s sharpness of temper.
- Lane · entry 29382
غَضَّ مِنْهُ
To lower someone’s estimation, dignity, or rank; to disparage or charge someone with a fault.
Used with مِنْهُ for diminution of another person’s standing or reputation.
- Lane · entry 29382
غَضَّ مِنْهُ
To disdain or scorn something or someone.
A conventional use expressing contempt or disdain.
- Lane · entry 29382
غَضَّ
To lessen, diminish, shorten, or deprive of part.
May concern the contents of a vessel, water, hair, or another person’s due; the object need not belong to a particular class.
- Lane · entry 29382
- Mufradāt · row 1054
غَضَّ
To break a branch, stick, or similar object without breaking it completely.
Describes incomplete breaking rather than total destruction.
- Lane · entry 29382
غَضَّ
To withhold, restrain, or prevent something.
Used broadly with an object; in an address to a rider, it can mean to restrain the mount and pause for a while.
- Lane · entry 29382
غَضَّ
To be or become fresh, juicy, moist, flourishing, or beautiful and bright.
An intransitive use describing freshness, luxuriance, or renewed beauty; of skin, it can denote fineness or delicacy.
- Lane · entry 29382
غَضَّضَ
To eat the tender emerging spadix of a palm.
The object is the fresh palm spadix known as غَضّ.
- Lane · entry 29383
غَضَّضَ
To become fine-skinned, plump, soft, or tender; also to become languid or abased.
An intransitive Form II use describing bodily softness or a state of languor and abasement.
- Lane · entry 29383
انْغَضَّ الطَّرْفُ
For the eye or eyes to become contracted, and possibly closed.
The reported comparison is with becoming closed; the more specific interpretation is contraction of the eye or eyes.
- Lane · entry 29384
غَضْغَضَ
For water, a sea, or a great river to become scanty, decrease, sink away, or disappear.
Describes diminution or disappearance of a quantity, especially water.
- Lane · entry 29386
غَضْغَضَةٌ
Indistinct or unclear speech.
A noun describing the manner of speaking rather than the content of speech.
- Lane · entry 29386
غَضْغَضَةٌ
The boiling of a cooking pot.
A conventional noun for the pot’s boiling activity.
- Lane · entry 29386
تَغَضْغَضَ
To decrease, diminish, become deficient, or lose something of its amount or integrity.
In negative constructions, it can mean to remain undiminished or unimpaired; it is also used of rain that does not cease.
- Lane · entry 29387
غَضٌّ
Fresh, juicy, sappy, moist, tender, flourishing, beautiful, or bright.
Applied broadly to things, including fresh plants or shade untouched by the sun; it can describe something unchanged for the worse.
- Lane · entry 29388
غَضٌّ
A recently born calf.
The plural is reported as غِضَاضٌ.
- Lane · entry 29388
غَضٌّ
The emerging or tender spadix of a palm, or its fruit when newly formed.
A concrete noun for the fresh early growth of the palm.
- Lane · entry 29388
غُضَّةٌ
Sufficiency of the means of subsistence.
An independent nominal use, comparable to having enough provision.
- Lane · entry 29389
غَضِيضٌ
Of an eye or eyes: lowered, contracted, directed downward, or languishing.
The adjective can describe the appearance of the eyelids and gaze, including a languishing look.
- Lane · entry 29390
غَضِيضُ الطَّرْفِ
Faithful and not treacherous.
An idiomatic interpretation of the expression غَضِيضُ الطَّرْفِ نَقِيُّ الظَّرْفِ.
- Lane · entry 29390
غَضِيضٌ
Lowered or diminished in estimation; defective, deficient, low, mean, or vile.
An adjectival result of diminution in quality, rank, or worth.
- Lane · entry 29390
غَضِيضٌ
Lessened, diminished, defective, or deficient.
A general adjectival description of something reduced in amount or completeness.
- Lane · entry 29390
غَضَاضَةٌ
A defect, imperfection, fault, vice, lowness, or want of power.
Used of a deficiency or humiliating shortcoming attributed to a person or matter.
- Lane · entry 29391
Cautions
Points that affect how this root should be read.
The Lane material is indexed under the contracted root غض, while the canonical QAC root is غضض; the Quranic form identity and count follow QAC.
The Quranic Form I headword is normalized from the attested imperfect and imperative forms to the Classical Arabic perfect citation form غَضَّ.