Quranic root
هشش
h · sh · sh
The root centers on softness, yieldingness, and ease of breaking or movement.
From physical softness and friability, the lexicon extends to shaking or breaking foliage, and figuratively to lively, welcoming, responsive, or generous disposition, alongside specialized uses involving milk, thinness, and motion.
- Maqāyīs · row 4893
- Mufradāt · row 1523
- Lane · entry 10499
- 1
- Quran-attested forms
- 1
- Quran senses
- 1
- Quran occurrences
Forms in the Quran
The forms this root actually takes in the Quran. Select one to jump to its senses and examples.
هَشَّ
hashsha
- 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 beat or shake leaves or foliage with a staff so that they fall.
In the Quranic construction, the foliage is beaten or drawn toward the speaker with a staff so that the leaves fall for grazing animals; descriptions also include scattering the leaves toward oneself. This is a foliage-directed use, not merely a general sense of bringing something down.
- Lane · entry 10499
- Mufradāt · row 1523
Selected Quran examples
Quran 20:18word 6
“and I bring down leaves”
Occurrences in the Quran
Every place this root appears, in Quran order. The first few are shown here.
- 20:18وَأَهُشُّand I bring down leaves
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 24 Classical meanings
هَشَّ
To be or become soft, yielding, lax, friable, or easily broken.
Used of things such as bread or wood. A reported figurative application to a person can evoke either an easy, compliant nature or weakness, depending on whether it is praise or disparagement.
- Lane · entry 10499
هَشَّ
Of a tree, to shed its leaves one after another.
An intransitive use describing leaves falling from the tree.
- Lane · entry 10499
هَشَّ
To become weak, unable to endure hardship, languid, or aged.
A figurative or assumed-tropical development of the basic Form I verb.
- Lane · entry 10499
هَشَّ
To be or become cheerful, lively, brisk, welcoming, or eager to do good.
With بِـ or إِلَى, the verb may describe cheerful conduct toward someone or eagerness for a beneficent act.
- Lane · entry 10499
هَشَّ
To incline toward someone.
The expression هَشِشْتُ إِلَى ٱمْرَأَتِي is reported with this interpretation, alongside the interpretation of being cheerful in disposition toward her.
- Lane · entry 10499
هَشَاشٌ
A state of commotion or agitation among people.
Attested in the phrase هَشَاشُ القَوْمِ.
- Lane · entry 10499
هَشَّ
To assault or strike with a staff or stick.
A broader staff-directed use, distinct from beating foliage so that its leaves fall.
- Lane · entry 10499
هَشَّ
To break dry herbage or the like into pieces.
A transitive use with dry vegetation or comparable brittle material.
- Lane · entry 10499
هَشَّشَهُ
To deem someone weak or feeble, or soft or gentle.
A transitive Form II evaluation of a person or thing.
- Lane · entry 10500
هَشَّشَهُ
To make someone or something brisk, lively, joyful, or happy; to incite it to such activity.
A transitive causative use, including exciting or stimulating someone or something to liveliness.
- Lane · entry 10500
اِهْتَشَّ
To become cheerful, lively, brisk, or sprightly.
Form VIII, explicitly cross-referenced with the corresponding cheerful disposition of Form I.
- Lane · entry 10501
هَشْهَشَهُ
To move or set in motion someone or something, or throw it into commotion.
A transitive reduplicated form describing induced movement or agitation.
- Lane · entry 10503
هَشٌّ
Softness, yieldingness, laxity, friability, or ease of breaking.
Used of bread, wood, dough, fruit, and similar things. In the figurative phrase هُوَ هَشٌّ المَكْسِرِ, the image of weak wood may praise compliance or disparage weakness; a reported contrary application describes baked dough or citron as dry or hard, apparently with emphasis on ease of breaking.
- Lane · entry 10504
هَشٌّ
Easy or compliant when asked, or glad to be asked.
A figurative description of a person’s disposition toward requests, especially requests for needed things.
- Lane · entry 10504
هَشٌّ
Cheerful, lively, pleasant, or prompt to do good; of a horse, light of rein.
Applied in the cited expressions to a person or, in one use, to a lively horse.
- Lane · entry 10504
هَشٌّ
Of a horse, inclined to sweat much.
A specialized equine use, contrasted with a horse that does not readily sweat.
- Lane · entry 10504
هَشُوشٌ
A ewe or she-goat abundant in milk.
A description of a female sheep or goat with a plentiful milk supply.
- Lane · entry 10506
هَشِيشٌ
Dry herbage.
Recorded synonymously with هَشِيمٌ, with a particular regional application also reported.
- Lane · entry 10507
هَشِيشٌ
A man niggardly with food toward his family or others.
A figurative, assumed-tropical application concerning provision of food.
- Lane · entry 10507
هَشِيشَةٌ
Leaves, apparently leaves beaten from a tree.
A tentative lexical report; the leaves are understood as those produced by beating a tree.
- Lane · entry 10508
هَشَّاشَةٌ
A water-skin that leaks because its thinness lets water flow through.
A specialized description of a thin, permeable water-skin.
- Lane · entry 10509
هَشْهَشَةٌ
Motion or commotion.
A verbal noun describing movement or agitation.
- Lane · entry 10510
هَشْهَاشٌ
Good in disposition, liberal, or bountiful.
A figurative character description.
- Lane · entry 10511
مُهَشْهِشَةٌ
A woman who displays love toward her husband and rejoices in him.
A specialized feminine description of affectionate marital behavior.
- Lane · entry 10513
Cautions
Points that affect how this root should be read.
The Lane citation attached to the Quranic discussion uses historical notation; the modern location 20:18:6 is used here only because QAC independently supplies it.
The Quran occurrence is the first-person imperfect أَهُشُّ, while the public headword is the normalized Form I perfect هَشَّ.