يراع

Arabic

Alternative forms

• يَرَع (yaraʕ)

Etymology

Probably from Aramaic, the same word as or derivative of יַעְרָא / ܝܰܥܪܳܐ (yaʿrā, “rushes, bushes, thicket”), so doublet of وَعْر (waʕr). The sense of a coward may be instead from the root ر و ع (r-w-ʕ).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ja.raːʕ/

Noun

يَرَاع • (yarāʕ) m (collective, singulative يَرَاعَة f (yarāʕa))

1. piece of reed, reed-pipe or reed-pen
2. glowworm, larviform gnat
   • a. 625, الأعشى [al-ʾaʿšā], quoting المسيب بن علس, edited by Geyer, Rudolf, Zwei Gedichte von Al-ʾAʿšâ (Sitzungsberichte der kaiserlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften in Wien. Philosophisch-historische Klasse; 149/6)‎^[1], volume Mâ Bukâʾu, Wien: In Kommission bei Carl Gerold’s Sohn, published 1905, pages 62–63:

     وَمَهًا يَرِفُّ كَأَنَّهُ إِذْ ذُقْتَهُ … عَانِيَّةٌ شُجَّتْ بِمَاءِ يَرَاعِ

     wamahan yariffu kaʔannahu ʔiḏ ḏuqtahu … ʕāniyyatun šujjat bi-māʔi yarāʕi

     An essence, which when tried, tastes like wine of ʿānah diluted with sump water [i.e. the water where gnats grow]

3. quakebuttock, coward

Declension

Declension of noun يَرَاع (yarāʕ)

Collective	basic collective triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	يَرَاع yarāʕ	الْيَرَاع al-yarāʕ	يَرَاع yarāʕ
Nominative	يَرَاعٌ yarāʕun	الْيَرَاعُ al-yarāʕu	يَرَاعُ yarāʕu
Accusative	يَرَاعًا yarāʕan	الْيَرَاعَ al-yarāʕa	يَرَاعَ yarāʕa
Genitive	يَرَاعٍ yarāʕin	الْيَرَاعِ al-yarāʕi	يَرَاعِ yarāʕi
Singulative	singulative triptote in ـَة (-a)
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	يَرَاعَة yarāʕa	الْيَرَاعَة al-yarāʕa	يَرَاعَة yarāʕat
Nominative	يَرَاعَةٌ yarāʕatun	الْيَرَاعَةُ al-yarāʕatu	يَرَاعَةُ yarāʕatu
Accusative	يَرَاعَةً yarāʕatan	الْيَرَاعَةَ al-yarāʕata	يَرَاعَةَ yarāʕata
Genitive	يَرَاعَةٍ yarāʕatin	الْيَرَاعَةِ al-yarāʕati	يَرَاعَةِ yarāʕati
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	يَرَاعَتَيْن yarāʕatayn	الْيَرَاعَتَيْن al-yarāʕatayn	يَرَاعَتَيْ yarāʕatay
Nominative	يَرَاعَتَانِ yarāʕatāni	الْيَرَاعَتَانِ al-yarāʕatāni	يَرَاعَتَا yarāʕatā
Accusative	يَرَاعَتَيْنِ yarāʕatayni	الْيَرَاعَتَيْنِ al-yarāʕatayni	يَرَاعَتَيْ yarāʕatay
Genitive	يَرَاعَتَيْنِ yarāʕatayni	الْيَرَاعَتَيْنِ al-yarāʕatayni	يَرَاعَتَيْ yarāʕatay
Paucal (3-10)	sound feminine paucal
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	يَرَاعَات yarāʕāt	الْيَرَاعَات al-yarāʕāt	يَرَاعَات yarāʕāt
Nominative	يَرَاعَاتٌ yarāʕātun	الْيَرَاعَاتُ al-yarāʕātu	يَرَاعَاتُ yarāʕātu
Accusative	يَرَاعَاتٍ yarāʕātin	الْيَرَاعَاتِ al-yarāʕāti	يَرَاعَاتِ yarāʕāti
Genitive	يَرَاعَاتٍ yarāʕātin	الْيَرَاعَاتِ al-yarāʕāti	يَرَاعَاتِ yarāʕāti

References

• Freytag, Georg (1837) “يراع”, in Lexicon arabico-latinum praesertim ex Djeuharii Firuzabadiique et aliorum Arabum operibus adhibitis Golii quoque et aliorum libris confectum‎^[2] (in Latin), volume 4, Halle: C. A. Schwetschke, page 518a
• Kazimirski, Albin de Biberstein (1860) “يراع”, in Dictionnaire arabe-français contenant toutes les racines de la langue arabe, leurs dérivés, tant dans l’idiome vulgaire que dans l’idiome littéral, ainsi que les dialectes d’Alger et de Maroc‎^[3] (in French), volume 2, Paris: Maisonneuve et C^ie, page 1626b