The central meaning in Taj Al-Arus dictionary: presentation, criticism and analysis

Abstract

The concept of pivotal meaning is one of the fertile areas of semantic study, especially since the topic of pivotal meaning is linked to the Arabic lexicon, which is rich in meanings, structures, and vocabulary. This is because it relies in determining meaning on referring the words of the linguistic root to a linguistic concept that encompasses those words. This, in turn, brings us closer to a correct understanding of the connotations of words and the meanings they contain. Not only this, but the pivotal meaning represents an addition that is relied upon in what has been newly created of meanings and new words, so the pivotal meaning is considered a linguistic reference in confirming or denying that, in addition to resolving the dispute in explaining and interpreting some Qur’anic words. The most likely interpretation is the one closest to its linguistic root and the pivotal meaning of the uses of that root, as well as in proving the foreignness of some words or confirming their Arabicness. Therefore, some linguists have become aware of the importance of all of this. It simply means the existence of a root meaning or a common meaning around which the uses and structures of a single linguistic material revolve. Many of them attributed different constructions to a single central meaning, or derived this meaning when addressing the connotations of some of the multiple uses of linguistic materials. Murtada al-Zabidi (d. 1205 AH) was one of the scholars who adopted the central meaning in interpreting words and revealing their meanings. He applied the connotations of the central meaning in his dictionary (Taj al-Arus min Jawahir al-Qamus). This research represents a modest contribution to clarifying al-Zabidi's approach and method of addressing linguistic roots, presenting the central meaning, and the resulting linguistic rulings and semantic implications.