منذ
مُنْدُ is a simple word; (
K;) or,
accord. to some, a compound word, as will be explained hereáfter: (
TA:)
Sb says, that it is with respect to time like مِنْ with respect to place: (
S,
L:) it is
indecl., [generally] with damm for its termination; and مُذْ is
indecl. also, [generally] with its final letter quiescent, (
S,
L,
K,) [unless followed by a quiescent letter, when it is movent in different manners which will be shown below,] and it is formed from مُنْذُ by elision: (
M,
L,
K:) منذ is also written and pronounced مِنْذُ, (
M,
L,
K,) in the
dial. of the Benoo-Suleym; (
M,
L;) and مذ, مِذْ, (
M,
L,
K,) in the
dial. of the tribe of 'Okl. (
M,
L.) Each may be a
prep., governing what follows it in the
gen. case, and used in the same manner as فِى [signifying In, or during, or from the beginning of]: and in this case, each is prefixed only to that which denotes present time: thus you say, مَا رَأَيْتُهُ مُذُ اللَّيْلَةِ [I have not seen him in this night; or simply I have not seen him this night]: (
S,
L:) or each is followed by a noun in the
gen. case, and in this instance is a
prep., in the sense of مِنْ [meaning Since, or
lit., from,] when relating to a past time [such as a particular past day or the like]; and in the sense of فِى [meaning In, or from the beginning of,] when relating to the present time; and in the sense of مِنْ and إِلَى
together [meaning From the beginning to the end of; or during the whole course of; or simply during, or for;] when relating to a computed period of time, or number of days or the like:
ex. [relating to a past time,] مَا رَأَيْتُهُ مُنْذُ يَوْمِ الخَمِيسِ [I have not seen him since Thursday, إِلَى الْآنَ to the present time]; (
Mughnee,
K;) and [relating to the present time,] مُنْذُ يَوْمِنَا or عَامِنَا [in, or from the beginning of, (this) our day, or (this) our year;]; and, [relating to a computed period of time, or number of days or the like,] مُنْذُ ثَلَاثَةِ أَيَّامٍ
[from the beginning to the end of, i. e., during, or for, three days]. (
Mughnee.) Each may also be a noun, governing the noun which follows it in the
nom. case, as signifying a particular day or the like, or as signifying a definite length of time: in the case of a noun signifying a particular day or the like, you say, مَا رَأَيْتُهُ مُذْ يَوْمُ الجُمْعَةِ [I have not seen him (since the commencement of a space of time); the commencement of the space of time thereof (i. e., أَوَّلُ مُدَّةِ عَدَمِ رُؤْيَتِى إِيَّاهُ the commencement of the space of time of my not seeing him) was Friday; meaning, since Friday]: and, in the case of a noun signifying a definite length of time, you say, مَا رَأَيْتُهُ مُذْ سَنَةٌ, meaning, أَمَدُ ذٰلِكَ سَنَةٌ, [I have not seen him (during, or for, a time); the time thereof (i. e., أَمَدُ عَدَمِ رُؤْيَتِى إِيَّاهُ the time of my not seeing him) is a year; meaning, during, or for, a year;] and the noun in this latter case can only be indeterminate; for you cannot say, مُذْ سَنَةُ كَذَا: (
S:) when followed by a noun in the
nom. case, as in the instance of مُنْذُ يَوْمَانِ [or,
accord. to more approved usage, مُذْ يَوْمَانِ, as will be shown below, The time is two days, meaning during, or for, two days], each is an
inchoative, and what follows it is an
enunciative; and its meaning is the time with respect to what is present, and to a computed period, or a number of days or the like; and the commencement of the space of time with respect to a past time [such as a particular past day or the like]: or each is an adv.
n. [of time], an
enunciative, of which what follows is the
inchoative, and meaning بَيْنَ وَبَيْنَ, as in the instance of لَقِيتُهُ مُنْذُ يَوْمَانِ, [or, rather, مُذْ يَوْمَانِ,] i. e., بَيْنِى وَبَيْنَ لِقَائِهِ يَوْمَانِ [Two days have been between the time in which I now am and (the time of) my meeting him]: (
K:) but this opinion is rejected by Ibn-Hájib. (
TA.)
Accord. to some of the Arabs, for they differ on this point, مذ governs in the
gen. case a noun signifying a past time and one signifying a time not past: and
accord. to some of them, منذ governs in the
nom. case a noun signifying a past time and one signifying a time not past: (
M,
L:) but the general and most approved way is to make مذ govern in the
gen. case a noun signifying a time not past, and in the
nom. case one signifying a time past; and to make منذ govern in the
gen. case a noun signifying a time not past and one signifying a time past: (
T,
M,
L:) most of the Arabs hold, that each must govern in the
gen. case a noun signifying the present time; and that it is preferable to make منذ govern in the same case, and to make مذ govern in the
nom. case, a noun signifying a past time: (
Mughnee:) [they therefore say, مُنْذُ اللَّيْلَةِ and مُذُ اللَّيْلَةِ, and مُنْذُ يَوْمِ الخَمِيسِ and مُنْذُ يَوْمَينِ; but they say, مُذْ يَوْمُ الخَمِيسِ and مُذْ يَوْمَانِ.] Some [or, rather, most] say, لَمْ أَرَهُ مُذْ يَوْمَانِ, and لَمْ أَرَهُ مُنْذُ يَوْمَينِ, [I have not seen him for, or during, two days;] making مذ [in these instances] to govern the
nom. case; and منذ, the
gen. case. (
L.) Such is said when the period of separation is a day and part of a day. (
Msb, art. شهر.) The Benoo-Dabbeh and Er-Rabáb make مذ to govern the
gen. case in every instance. (
M,
L.) The phrases, مَا رَأَيْتُهُ مُذْ عَامٌ أَوَّلُ, and مُذْ عَامٌ أَوَّلَ, (
S,
K, art. وأل; and
L,) and مُذْ عَامُ الأَوَّلِ, and مُذْ عَامًا أَوَّلَ, [I have not seen him since last year,] are also mentioned by different authors. (
L.) The Arabs generally agree in pronouncing منذ with damm to the ذ when it is followed by a movent or a quiescent letter; (
T,
M,
L;) as in لَمْ أَرَهُ مُنْذُ يَوْمٍ, and مُنْذُ اليَوْمِ: (
T,
L:) and to pronounce مذ with the ذ quiescent when it is followed by a movent letter, (
T,
M,
L,) and with damm and [sometimes] with kesr when it is followed by a conjunctive ا; (
M,
L;) as in لَمْ أَرَهُ مُذْ يَوْمَانِ, and لَمْ أَرَهُ مُذُ اليَوْمِ, [and مُذِ اليَوْمِ]: (
T,
L:) and so say most of the grammarians. (
T.)
Lh says, The Benoo-'Obeyd, of the tribe of Ghanee, make the ذ of مذ movent when it is followed by a movent or a quiescent letter, and make the noun following it to be in the
nom. case, saying مُذُ اليَوْمُ; and some of them pronounce it with kesr when followed by a quiescent letter, saying مُذِ اليَوْمُ; but this is not the proper way. (
M,
L.) In the phrase مَا رَأَيْتُهُ مُذُ اليَوْمِ, the Arabs make the ذ movent because of the occurrence [otherwise] of two quiescent letters together; and they [generally] give it not kesr, but damm, because the latter is the final vowel of its original منذ. (
M,
L.) One says also, مَا لَقِيتُةُ مُنْذَ اليَوْمِ, and مُذَ اليَوْمِ, which fet-h to the ذ in each. (
K.) The Benoo-Suleym are related to have used the expression مَا رَأَيْتُهُ مِنْذُ سِتٌّ [by ستّ meaning six nights], with kesr to the م of منذ, and with the noun following it in the
nom. case: and the tribe of 'Okl are related to have used the expression مِذُ يَوْمَانِ, with the ن elided, and with kesr to the م, and damm to the ذ. (
M,
L.)
b2: Each of the two words منذ and مذ is also followed by a verbal proposition, as in the instance مَا زَالَ مُذْ عَقَدَتْ يَدَاهُ إِزَازَهُ [He has not ceased, since his two hands tied his wrapper of the lower part of the body]: or a nominal proposition, as in the instance وَلَا زِلْتُ أَبْغِى المَالَ مُذْ أَنَا يَافِعٌ [And I ceased not to seek wealth from the time of my being a youth, or young man]: in such cases, each is an adv.
n. prefixed to the proposition [and governing it virtually in the
gen. case], or to a noun significant of time [understood as] prefixed thereto [in the same manner]: or, as some say, each is an
inchoative. (
K.)
b3: The original of مذ is منذ, because they restore the dammeh to the ذ in the case of the occurrence of two quiescent letters together; as in the instance of مُذُ اليَوْمِ, for were not its original with damm, they would give it kesr: [but this some do, as has been shown above:] and because its
dim. is مُنَيْذٌ: (
K:) for when مذ is used as a proper name of a man, its
dim. is thus formed, by restoring the ن, that it may be of the measure فُعَيْلٌ: (
IJ,
M,
L:) or when مذ is a noun, it is originally منذ; and when it is a
particle, it is itself original. (
K.)
b4: Accord. to some, منذ (
T,
S,
L,
K) and مذ (
K) are originally مِنْ and إِذْ, which are made one word, (
T,
S,
L,
K,) by eliding the hemzeh, and then giving damm to the ذ because of the occurrence of two quiescent letters together; (
K;) مُنْذُ كَانَ [and مُذْ كَانَ] meaning مِنْ إِذْ كَانَ: (
T,
L:) but there is nothing to indicate the truth of this opinion: (
S,
L:) or, as some say, منذ and مذ are originally the prep.
من and ذو in the sense of الَّذِى (
L,
K) in the
dial. of Teiyi: so says
Fr.; adding, that when either governs a
gen. case, it is used in the manner of مَنْ; and when it governs a
nom. case, it is as though one said, [in using the expression مُنْذُ أَوْ مُذْ يَوْمَانِ,] مِنَ الَّذِى هُوَ يَوْمَانِ; and that the former government prevails in the case of منذ because the ن is not suppressed: (
L:) or, as some say, they are originally مِنْ and the noun of indication ذَا; so that in the phrase مَا رَأَيْتُهُ مُنْذُ يَوْمَانِ, [
accord. to more approved usage, مُذْ يَوْمَانِ,] we virtually say, مِنْ ذَا الْوَقْتِ يَوْمَانِ: but each of these assertions is a deviation from the plain way. (
K.)
