Meaning shades of Arabic Verbal Form X
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This post is on The Meanings of Arabic Verb Form X
اِسْتَفْعَلَ . Usually one or multiple (more than one) of the following meaning shades are applicable in a Form
X verb and applicable meaning shades may differ from verb to verb.
Last edited on : 14-April-2016 and planned to be edited and improved further.
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1 (n) . Can be made from the root by prefixing the augmentative letters
ست before the
ف of root and giving it pattern
اِسْتَفْعَلَ .
2 (w) . Can be made from Form I
فَعَلَ by prefixing
ست before
ف due to which it becomes
ستفَعَلَ and then the fathah of
ف is thrown back upon
ت and it becomes
ستَفْعَلَ . Then to facilitate its pronunciation
اِ is added before it and resulting pattern is
اِسْتَفْعَلَ .
3 . (n) The
س appears to be basically indicating
seeking / requiring. The
ت appears to be basically indicating
for oneself.
4 (n) . Form X Verb indicates:
The
seeking or
requiring
for oneself
the act or thing or
quality
and then
asking,
demanding,
procuring,
taking,
doing,
getting done via someone
the
act indicated in the Form I verb or
the thing or quality indicated in the word from the same root as the Form X verb
and then
tasking oneself to put striving and efforts in this regard till what is
sought or required is obtained
or achieved.
5 (w) . Form X often expresses the
taking, procuring, seeking, asking for, demanding for
oneself what is meant by the Form I verb.
غَفَرَ (Form I) he pardoned.
اِسْتَغْفَرَ (Form X) he sought and asked for pardon for himself.
سَقَىٰ (Form I) he gave him a drink.
اِسْتَسْقَىٰ (Form X) he procured a drink for himself (by asking for permission for it, or by making payment for it etc.)
6 (h) . Form X often denotes
requiring the act, plainly or constructively. Examples :
Asking plainly
اِسْتَكْتَبْتُهُ (Form X) I asked him to write (something for me or something of my interest).
Constructively
اِسْتَخْرَجَ الْوَتَدَ (Form X) he extracted out the peg. (He sought and required to extract out the peg for for his own interest, and then tasked himself to this by putting efforts and striving in this regard till the peg was successfully extracted out.)
7 (k)(n)(q) . The subject or
فَاعِل seeking, requiring, asking, demanding for himself from the object or
مَفْعُول the act indicated in the Form I verb or thing or quality indicated in the word from the same root as the Form X verb. This can then be in the real/actual/proper sense
حَقِيقِيّ or in the
مَجَازِيّ figurative/tropical/metaphorical sense. The real/actual/proper sense can be indicated using words like
asking, demanding:
for himself. The figurative/tropical/metaphorical sense can be indicated using words like
taking, extracting, doing, getting done via someone: for himself. The
seeking or requiring is there in both these senses.
اِسْتَطْعَمْتُهُ (Form X) I sought for myself and asked him for
طَعَام food.
اِسْتَخْرَجْتُ الذَّهَبَ مِنَ الْمَعْدَنِ (Form X) I sought for myself and extracted out the gold from the mine.
8 (t) .
Self tasking or
self-assigning oneself to
make some one do or
make oneself do.
9 (h)(q)(a) . The subject or
فَاعِل becoming actually or actually like or
metaphorically like the thing indicated in the word from the same root as the Form X verb.
اِسْتَحْجَرَ الطِّينُ (Form X) The clay became or became like
حَجَر stone (in hardness). (
Actual)
إِنَّ البِغَاثَ بِأَرْضِنَا تَسْتَنْسِرُ (Form X) An Arabic proverb, meaning, verily the
بِغَاث ignoble/small bird, in our land becomes like the
نَسْر vulture. Can be applied to the low person who becomes of high rank, e.g. the weak in our land becomes strong, or he who makes himself our neighbor becomes mighty, strong, or of high rank by our means, acquiring the might or strength of the vulture, after having being low or mean in condition. (
Metaphorical)
10 (k)(a) . The subject or
فَاعِل being or becoming
requiring or
seeking or
worthy of the meaning indicated by the root, or thing or quality indicated in the word from the same root as that of the Form X verb.
اِسْتَرْقَعَ الثَّوْبُ (Form X) The garment became requiring or seeking or worthy of a
رُقْعَة patch (a piece of cloth, or rag, with which a garment, or the like, is patched or pieced or repaired) .
11 (k)(h) . The subject or
فَاعِل finding the object or
مَفْعُول to be possessed of the meaning indicated by the root or thing or quality indicated in the word from the same root as that of the Form X verb.
اِسْتَسْمَنْتُهُ (Form X) I found him to be
سَمِين fat.
12 (w)(a) . Form X often indicates that a person
believes, thinks, estimates or declares that a certain thing possesses, in reference to himself or for his benefit, the quality expressed by the Form I verb.
اِسْتَحَلَّهُ (Form X) he thought, esteemed or deemed it to be lawful or allowed for himself.
اِسْتَوْجَبَهُ (Form X) he made it necessary for himself or he thought it was necessary for himself or he said/declared that it was necessary for himself.
13 (k)(h)(w) . The subject or
فَاعِل in reference to himself or for his benefit:
believing, assuming, thinking, estimating, or declaring the object or
مَفْعُول to be possessed of the meaning indicated by the root or thing or quality indicated in the word from the same root as that of the Form X verb.
اِسْتَحْسَنَهُ (Form X) he assumed or thought or estimated him or it to be
حَسَن good/beautiful.
14 (k) . The subject or
فَاعِل in reference to himself or for his benefit:
making the object or
مَفْعُول to become the thing indicated in the word from the same root as that of the Form X verb.
اِسْتَوْطَنَ الْبَلَدَ (Form X) he made the city his abode/residence i.e
وَطَن .
15 (q)(n) . The subject or
فَاعِل for his benefit or interest, seeking to be attributed with a quality by others,
pretending to be possessed of the meaning indicated by the root or thing or quality indicated in the word from the same root as that of the Form X verb. In Form X, this pretending is usually done for a likeable or praiseworthy quality.
اِسْتَجْرَأَ (Form X) he seeking for himself to be seen as possessor of
جُرْأَة bravery, courage or daringness, pretended to be so.
16 (k)(n) . The subject or
فَاعِل having
strength in the quality indicated by the root
due to his seeking the quality for himself instead of just possessing the quality.
17 (w) . Form X converts the
factitive signification of Form IV into the
reflexive or
middle.
أَعَدَّهُ (Form IV) he made him or caused him (someone else) to be ready, prepared, equipped.
اِسْتَعَدَّ (Form X) he made himself or caused himself to be ready, prepared, equipped.(
Reflexive)
أَخْلَصَ (Form IV) he yielded up (something) wholly (to someone).
اِسْتَخْلَصَ (Form X) he claimed (something) wholly for himself, he took entire possession of it. (
Middle)
18 (k) Form X is also in some cases quasi-passive
مُطَاوِع of Form IV,
(a) .
مُطَاوِع is a verb whose (grammatical) agent receives the effect of the action of the agent another verb.
(w) . The
مُطَاوِع expresses the state into which the object of the action denoted by the verb of which it is
مُطَاوِع is brought by that action, as its effect or result.
أَقَمْتُهُ فَاسْتَقَامَ I made him stand upright so he held himself upright.
19 (w) . In various verbs, Form X has apparently a neuter sense, but in such cases, a more minute examination shows that it was, at least originally, reflexive.
اِسْتَقَامَ (Form X) he held himself upright (reflexive). He stood upright (neuter).
20 (w) . Form X is
denominal/denominative in various verbs, in which case it unites the factitive and reflexive or middle senses.
اِسْتَخْلَفَ (Form X) he appointed himself as
خَلِيفَة caliph.
21 (k) . Introducing new meaning in form X which is not present in form I.
22 (k) . Form X verb can also come for a root in which no Form I verb has come.
23 (w) . Table 1
24 (q) . Table 2
Important Note:
Best examples for analyzing and verifying the level of applicability or non-applicability of above mentioned meaning shades
and for finding additional meaning shades is by studying all occurrences of the Form in The Qur'an and for that you can check relevant examples for this Form in
Pattern Wise Concordance PDF by visiting the post:
Pattern wise, Root wise & Letter wise Concordance of The Qur'an
& downloading the concordance documents freely. You can check relevant examples of most of the patterns used in the Qur'an by using concordance documents.
References: When multiple references mentioned for a point, it means material selected from all quoted references more from some and less from others and all quoted references do not necessarily agree on everything. Material is not exactly copied but based on the reference quoted and I have made
additions, editions & changes where required :
h =
Howell Arabic Grammar English
w =
Wright Arabic Grammar English
t =
Arabic notes on tripod site by Hani Deek
k =
Aasaan Khaasiyyaat e abwaab Urdu
q =
Qawaid Zaban e Qur'an Urdu
n =
new indication by me.
a =
Derived from other tools like arabic almanac or some other book.
