Quranic root
رعب
r · ʿ · b
The root expresses three attested semantic orientations: fear, filling, and cutting.
The fear branch is associated with being overcome by a fullness of fear; related Classical extensions describe filling a container or valley and cutting a mass into pieces. These root-level developments do not make the latter branches Quranic meanings of رُعْب.
- Maqāyīs · row 2065
- Mufradāt · row 559
- 1
- Quran-attested forms
- 1
- Quran senses
- 5
- Quran occurrences
Forms in the Quran
The forms this root actually takes in the Quran. Select one to jump to its senses and examples.
رُعْب
ruʿb
- Part of speech
- Noun
- Quran occurrences
- 5 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.
Overwhelming fear, fright, or terror.
In Quranic constructions, this terror may be cast into people's hearts or may so fill a person that it becomes an overwhelming state.
- Lane · entry 23629
- Mufradāt · row 559
Selected Quran examples
Quran 3:151word 6
“[the] terror”
Quran 18:18word 22
“(with) terror”
Occurrences in the Quran
Every place this root appears, in Quran order. The first few are shown here.
- 3:151ٱلرُّعْبَ[the] terror
- 8:12ٱلرُّعْبَthe terror
- 18:18رُعْبًۭا(with) terror
- 33:26ٱلرُّعْبَ[the] terror
- 59:2ٱلرُّعْبَ ۚ[the] terror
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 28 Classical meanings
رَعْب
A threat or threatening.
- Lane · entry 23624
- Lane · entry 23628
رَعْب
A charm or fascination produced by magical enchantment, the evil eye, or the like.
- Lane · entry 23624
- Lane · entry 23628
رَعْب
Rhyming prose of the Arabs.
Recorded as a tropical or assumed-tropical extension.
- Lane · entry 23624
- Lane · entry 23628
رُعْب
The socket of an arrowhead, into which the head enters and over which the sinew bindings are wound.
- Lane · entry 23629
رَعَبَ
To fill a watering-trough, tank, vessel, or valley with water.
Used of a person filling a container and of water, especially a torrent, filling a valley.
- Lane · entry 23624
رَاعِب
A torrent that fills a valley; also a valley filled with water, or rain.
The torrent may be described as frightening by its abundance, breadth, and filling of the valley.
- Lane · entry 23638
رَعَبَ
Of a pigeon: to raise and pour forth its cooing cry loudly or vehemently.
A tropical extension describing the force or loudness of a bird's call.
- Lane · entry 23624
رَاعِبِيّ
A kind of pigeon, especially one noted for a loud or strong cooing voice.
The lexical explanation as a place-name derivative is uncertain; the loud-voiced pigeon sense is directly recorded.
- Lane · entry 23639
رَعَبَ
To compose or utter rhyming prose.
Recorded as a tropical or assumed-tropical extension.
- Lane · entry 23624
رَعَبَ
To cut a camel's hump or another thing into pieces, long pieces, or slices.
- Lane · entry 23624
رَعَبَ
To break the socket of an arrowhead.
The object is the arrow's رُعْب, its head-socket.
- Lane · entry 23624
رُعْبُوبَة
A tall, well-formed, soft, plump, fair, beautiful, or tender young woman or girl.
The source records several closely related descriptive qualifications for this feminine noun.
- Lane · entry 23635
رُعْبُوبَة
A restless, unsteady, light, active, brisk, lively, or sprightly she-camel.
- Lane · entry 23635
رُعْبُوبَة
The base or lower part of a palm's spathe or spadix.
- Lane · entry 23635
رَعِيب
Afraid, frightened, or terrified; weak or cowardly.
Also used of one who is readily frightened.
- Lane · entry 23636
رَعِيب
Fat or dripping with grease; of a camel's hump, full and fat.
- Lane · entry 23636
رَعِيب
Short.
- Lane · entry 23636
رَاعِب
One who threatens; a threatener.
The related intensive form may indicate habitual or frequent action.
- Lane · entry 23638
رَاعِب
One who charms or fascinates by magical enchantment, the evil eye, or the like.
- Lane · entry 23638
رَاعِب
One who composes or utters rhyming prose.
Recorded as a tropical extension.
- Lane · entry 23638
رَاعِب
A torrent that fills a valley; also a valley filled with water or rain.
The expression may emphasize the torrent's frightening abundance and breadth.
- Lane · entry 23638
تِرْعَابَة
Very fearful or exceedingly fearful.
An intensive descriptive noun or epithet, especially contrasted with behavior in peace and war.
- Lane · entry 23643
تِرْعِيبَة
A piece of a camel's hump, especially a long piece or slice cut from it.
A lexical noun rather than merely the verbal noun of cutting.
- Lane · entry 23644
مُرَعَّب
A camel's hump cut into pieces, long pieces, or slices.
- Lane · entry 23646
مَرْعَبَة
A frightful barren desert or open tract.
- Lane · entry 23645
مَرْعَبَة
A sudden springing or leaping toward someone and sitting beside them so as to frighten them when unaware.
The noun denotes the startling action as a cause of fear.
- Lane · entry 23645
تَرْعِيب
The shaking or quivering of a camel's hump, understood as associated with its being fat and thick.
This is a specialized explanation of the term as applied to a camel's hump.
- Lane · entry 23625
رَعَّبَ
To repair an arrow's socket.
The object repaired is the arrowhead socket called رُعْب.
- Lane · entry 23625
Cautions
Points that affect how this root should be read.
رُعْب as the Quranic noun meaning terror is homographic with a Classical Arabic term for an arrowhead socket; the two meanings are kept separate.
Several Lane entries are pointer-only or record derived forms of already represented branches; they are not independent public Quranic forms.