The Lexicon of Congenital Defects in Al-Khalil's Kitab Al-'Ayn: A Semantic Study

Abstract

This research examines the lexicon of the congenital defects in Al-Khalil's Kitab Al-'Ayn (En: Al-'Ayn Dictionary "Al-'Ayn is the 18^th letter in the Arabic alphabet") from a semantic perspective, focusing on terms such as: stinginess, greed, lying, cheating, cowardice, injustice, envy, malice, immorality, foolishness, anger, recklessness, arrogance, and pride. The research aims to determine the meanings of these terms and their relationship to moral and social values, analyzing how Arabs portrayed these negative traits in the language. It also discusses the semantic development of these terms across various linguistic sources (such as Ibn Faris, Ibn Manzur, and Al-Zubaidi) and demonstrates their ethical and linguistic role in shaping social behavior.

The research concludes that these terms reflect individual and societal congenital defects, and that understanding their meanings contributes to the advancement of literary, ethical, and linguistic studies.