قسورة

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Arabic

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Etymology

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The four possible definitions given were all recorded by Al-Tabari, but most have no supported etymology. In the "lion" sense, the word is claimed to be a borrowing from an Ethiopian language, though it is possible that it is of South Arabian origin and that the extreme southern end of Arabia was conflated with Abyssinia; compare Hobyót ḳaṣ̂áwrət, the plural of ḳáyṣ̂ər (leopard).

Noun

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قَسْوَرَة (qaswaraf

  1. (Qur'anic hapax) The meaning of this term is uncertain. Possibilities include: lion, hunters, archers, group of men
    • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 74:50-51:
      كَأَنَّهُمْ حُمُرٌ مُّسْتَنْفِرَةٌ / فَرَّتْ مِنْ قَسْوَرَةٍ
      kaʔannahum ḥumurun mustanfiratun / farrat min qaswaratin
      As if they were frightened donkeys / Fleeing from a lion

Usage notes

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  • Modern translations and interpretations almost universally translate this word as “lion”.