al-Asharat fi Gharib al-Lugha
- Author died
- 345 AH
- Editions
- al-Maṭba‘ah al-Waṭanīyah
al-Asharat fi Gharib al-Lugha (The Tens in Rare Lexical Usages) is a specialized Arabic lexicographical treatise composed by the Baghdadi philologist Abu Umar al-Zahid (261–345 AH / 875–957 CE) .
Background and Composition
Abu Umar al-Zahid originally prepared the work exclusively for al-Husri, an associate of the judge Abu Umar . Abu Umar frequently compiled books for al-Husri in exchange for payment . When the author fell ill and sent a messenger requesting an advance of a month’s stipend, al-Husri turned down the request, citing the proverb: "Starve your dog and it will follow you" . Offended by the insult, Abu Umar instructed his messenger to reply: "You honored me and burdened me; you humiliated me and relieved me. By God, I will turn the 'tens' into 'sorrows' for him!" He subsequently broke the exclusivity and released the text publicly to students and scholars .
Structure and Method
The work focuses on rare vocabulary (gharib al-lugha) arranged in thematic and morphological units structured around groups of ten words or meanings . Each section typically presents ten terms sharing common phonetic or semantic traits, such as distinct meanings expressed through identical or rhyming structures . The author transmits his definitions primarily via chains of transmission passing through his teacher Thalab from Amr ibn Abi Amr and Ibn al-A'rabi .
Later grammarians, such as Muhammad ibn Ja'far al-Tamimi al-Daqiqi, engaged with its organizational concept in works like Ittifaq al-Mabani wa-Iftiraq al-Ma'ani, commenting on Abu Umar's strict limitation to groups of ten despite the availability of wider lexical data .
Transmission and Editions
The text was transmitted and dictated by Abu Umar's student Ibn Khalawayh, who incorporated additional remarks and supplements into the transmission .
The Orientalist Paul Brönnle published an early edition of the text in Leiden in 1900, mistakenly attributing the authorship directly to Ibn Khalawayh due to his prominent role in its narration . Modern critical editions properly attributing the work to Abu Umar al-Zahid were later published, including an edition edited by Yahya Abd al-Ra'uf Jabr .
Answer updated