option, choice, selection

, aor. يَخِيرُ, (K,) inf. n. خَيْرٌ, (TA,) He (a man, TA) was, or became, possessed of خَيْر [or good, &c.]. (K, TA.) ― -b2- [He was, or be came, good: and he did good: contr. of شَرَّ.] You say, خِرْتَ يَا رَجُلُ [Thou hast been good; or thou hast done good, or well; O man]. (S.) And خَارَٱللّٰهُ لَكَ فِى هٰذَا الأَمْرِ [May God do good to thee, bless thee, prosper thee, or favour thee, in this affair: or] may God cause thee to have, or appoint to thee, good in this affair: (K:) or may God choose for thee the better thing [in this affair]. (A.) الّٰهُمَّ خِرْلِى occurs in a trad., meaning O God, choose for me the better of the two things. (TA.) ― -b3- See also 8. ― -b4- خَارَهُ عَلَى صَاحِبِهِ, aor. as above, inf. n. خِيرَةٌ and خِيَرٌ (Msb, K *) and خِيَرَةٌ (K) and خَيْرٌ; (Msb, TA;) and ↓ خيّرهُ, (K,) inf. n. تَخْيِيرٌ; (TA;) He preferred him before his companion, (Msb, K. *) ― -b5- خَايَرَهُ فَخَارَهُ: see 3.

He gave him the choice, or option, (S, A, * Mgh, * Msb, * K,) بَيْنَ الشَّيْيأَيْنِ [between the two things], (S, Mgh, Msb,) or بين الأَمْرَيْنِ [between the two affairs]: ↓ فَتَخَيَّرَ [so he had the choice, or option, given him]. (A.) ― -b2- See also 1. It is said in a trad., خَيَّرَ بَيْنَ دُورِ الأَنْصَارِ, meaning He preferred some among the houses of the Assistants before others of them. (TA.) And in another trad., خُيِّرَ, meaning He was preferred, and pronounced to have surpassed, or overcome, or won, in a contest, or dispute. (IAth.)

↓ خَايَرَهُ فَخَارَهُ, (A, K,) inf. n. مُخَايَرَةٌ, (A,) He vied with him, or strove to surpass him, or contended with him for superiority, in goodness, or excellence, (A, K,) in, or with respect to, (فِى,) a thing, (A,) and he surpassed him therein. (A, K.)

, (A,) and ↓ مَا خَيْرَهُ, which latter is extr. [with respect to form, though more commonly used than the former], (TA,) [How good is such a one!] phrases similar to مَاأَشَّرَهُ and مَا شَّرَهُ [which have the contr. meaning]. (TA.) اللَّبَنَ لِلْمَرِيضِ ↓ مَا خَيْرَ [How good is milk for the diseased!], (K, * TA,) with nasb to the ر and ن, is an expression of wonder: (K:) it was said to Khalaf El-Ahmar, by an Arab of the desert, in the presence of Aboo-Zeyd; whereupon Khalaf said to him, “ What a good word, if thou hadst not defiled it by mentioning it to the [common] people! ” and Aboo-Zeyd returned to his companions, and desired them, when Khalaf ElAhmar should come, to say, all together, these words (ما خير اللبن للمريض), [in order to vex him], and they did so. (TA.)

, as an intrans. v.: see 2. -A2- As a trans. v.: see 8.

They contended together for superior goodness, or for excellence, in it, or with respect to it, appealing to a judge, or an arbiter. (A.)

; and ↓ تخيّرهُ, (S, * A, Mgh, Msb, K,) inf. n. [or rather quasi-inf. n.] ↓ خِيَرَةٌ, said by IAth to be the only instance of the kind except طِيَرَةٌ; (TA voce تَطَيَّرَ;) and ↓ استخارهُ; (A;) and ↓ خَارَهُ; (K;) He chose, made choice of. selected, elected, or preferred, him, or it. (S, Msb, * K.) You say also, اِخْتَرْتُهُ الرِّجَالَ, and مِنَ الرِّجَالِ, [I chose him from the men,] and عَلَيْهِمْ, (K,) which last signifies in preference to them. (TA.) It is said in the Kur [vii. 154], وَٱخْتَارَ مُوسَى قَوْمِهِ سَبْعِينَ رَجُلًا [And Moses chose from his people seventy men]. (TA.) وَلَقَدِ ٱخْتَرْنَاهُمْ عَلَى عِلْمٍ, in the Kur [xliv. 31, Verily we have chosen them with knowledge], may be indicative of God's producing good, or of his preferring them before others. (TA.)

He sought, desired, or asked for, خِيرَة (S, Msb, K) or خِيَرَة (as in some copies of the K) [i. e. the blessing, prospering, or favour, of God; &c.]. [And it is trans.; for] one says, اِسْتَخِرِ ٱللّٰهَ يَخِرْ لَكَ [Desire thou, or ask thou for, the blessing, prospering, or favour, of God; &c.; and He will bless, prosper, or favour, thee; &c.]. (S.) And اِسْتَخَرْتُ ٱللّٰهَ فِيهِ فَخَارَ لِى I desired, or asked, of God, the better of the two things, [or rather the better in it, meaning a case, or an affair,] and He chose it for me. (A.) ― -b2- See also 8.

[Good, moral or physical; anything that is good, real or ideal, and actual or potential; and, being originally an inf. n., used as sing and pl.;] a thing that all desire; such as intelligence, for instance, and equity; (Er-Rághib, and so in some copies of the K;) [or goodness;] and excellence; and what is profitable or useful; benefit; (Er-Rághib;) contr. of شَرٌّ: (S, A, Msb:) pl. خُيُورٌ, (Msb, K,) and also, accord. to the Msb, ↓ خِيَارٌ: (TA:) [but this latter seems to be properly pl. only of خَيْرٌ used as an epithet (see below) and as a noun denoting the comparative and superlative degrees: it may however be used as an epithet in which the quality of a subst. is predominant:] خير is of two kinds: namely, absolute خير, which is what is desired in all circumstances and by every person: and what is خير [or good] to one and شرّ [or evil] to another; as, for instance, (Er-Rághib,) wealth, or property: (Zj, L in art. شد, Er-Rághib, K:) it has this last signification, namely wealth, or property, in the Kur, ii. 176 (S, TA) and ii. 274 and xxiv. 33 and xli. 49: or in the first and second of these instances it is thus called to imply the meaning of wealth, or property, that has been collected in a praiseworthy manner, or it means much wealth or property; and this is its meaning in the first of the instances mentioned above, agreeably with a trad. of 'Alee; and also in the Kur, c. 8: (TA:) [being used as a pl. (as well as a sing.), it may be also rendered good things:] and it is also used by the Arabs to signify horses; (K, * TA;) and has this meaning in the Kur, xxxviii. 31: (TA:) [it is often best rendered good fortune; prosperity; welfare; wellbeing; weal; happiness; or a good state or condition: and sometimes bounty, or beneficence.] رَجُلٌ قَلِيلُ الخَيْرِ means [A man possessing little, or no, good; possessing few, or no, good things; or poor: and in whom is little, or no, good or goodness; or niggardly: and also] a man who does little good: (TA in art. عص:) or [who does no good;] who is not near to doing good; denoting the nonexistence of good in him. (Msb in art. قل.) [Thus it sometimes means the same as رَجُلٌ لَا خَيْرَ فِيهِ A man in whom is no good or goodness; devoid of goodness; worthless.] And قِلَّةُ خَيْرٍ means Poverty: and also niggardliness. (A and TA in art. جحد.) هُوَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الخَيْرِ وَالخِيرِ is explained voce خِيرٌ. عَلَىيَدَىِ الخَيْرِ وَاليُمْنِ [May it be with the aid of good fortune and prosperity] is a prayer used with respect to a marriage. (A 'Obeyd, TA.) And إِنَّكَ مَا وَخَيْرًا means مَعَ خَيْرٍ, i. e., Mayest thou meet with, or attain, good. (K.) ― -b2- خَيْرٌ in the phrase فُلَانٌ خَيْرٌ resembles an epithet [like ↓ خَيِّرٌ, and signifies Good; or possessing good]; (Akh, S;) therefore the fem. is خَيْرَةٌ, of which the pl. is خَيْرَاتٌ, (Akh, S, Msb, *) as occurring in the Kur, lv. 70; and they do not [there] mean by it [the comparative or superlative signification of the measure] أَفْعَلُ: (Akh, S:) you say ↓ رَجُلٌ خَيِّرٌ, (S, A, Msb,) meaning [A good man; or] a man possessing خَيْر [or good]; (Msb;) and رَجُلٌ خَيْرٌ: (S:) and in like manner, ↓ اِمْرَأَةٌ خَيِّرَةٌ and خَيْرَةٌ, (S, Msb,) meaning [A good woman; or] a woman excellent in beauty and disposition: (Msb:) or خَيْرٌ and ↓ خَيِّرٌ signify possessing much خَيْر [or good], (K,) applied to a man; (TA;) and in the same sense you say ↓ رَجُلٌ خَيْرَى, and ↓ خُورَى, and ↓ خِيَرى: and the fem. of the first is خَيْرَةٌ; and of the second, ↓ خَيِّرَةٌ: (K:) and the pl. [of pauc.] (of the first, TA) is أَخْيَارٌ, and [of mult.] خِيَارٌ: (A, Msb, K:) you say also خِيَارُ المَالِ, meaning The excellent of the camels or the like: (Msb, K:) and in like manner you say of men &c.: (TA:) [see also below:] and the fem. is خَيْرَةٌ, of which the pl. is خَيْرَاتٌ: (Msb:) خِيَارٌ is contr. of أَشْرَارٌ, (S, Mgh,) [thus] used as an epithet: (Mgh:) and ↓ خَيْرَةٌ [used as a subst.] signifies anything excellent; and the pl. thereof in this sense, خَيْرَاتٌ, occurs in the Kur, ix. 89: (S:) or خَيْرٌ, (K,) or the fem. خَيْرَةٌ, (Lth,) or each, (K.) signifies excellent in beauty: (Lth, K:) and ↓ خَيِّرٌ and خَيِّرَةٌ signify excellent in righteousness (Lth, K) and religion: (K:) or there is no difference in the opinion of the lexicologists [in general] between خَيْرَةٌ and ↓ خَيِّرَةٌ: (Az:) accord. to Zj, خَيْرَاتٌ and ↓ خَيِّرَاتٌ, both occurring in different readings of the Kur, lv. 70, signify good in dispositions: accord. to Khálid Ibn-Jembeh, خَيْرَةٌ, applied to a woman, signifies generous in race, exalted in rank or quality or reputation, goodly in face, good in disposition, possessing much wealth, who, if she bring forth, brings forth a generous child: (TA:) [↓ خِيَارٌ is also applied as an epithet to a sing. subst., either masc. or fem.:] you say جَمَلٌ خِيَارٌ and نَاقَةٌ خِيَارٌ, meaning A he-camel [that is excellent or] excellent and brisk and so a she-camel. (TA.) See also مُخْتَارٌ, in three places. In the saying لَعَمَرُ أَبِيكَ الخَيْرُ, the word خَيْر is in the nom. case as an epithet of عَمْر; [so that the phrase lit. means By the good life of thy father;] but properly it should be لَعَمْرُ أَبِيكَ الخَيْرِ [By the life of thy good father]: and the like is said with شَرّ. (TA.) [See also art. عمر.] ― -b3- خَيْرٌ is also used to denote superiority: one says, هٰذَا خَيْرٌ مِنْ هٰذَا This is better than this: and in the dial. of the Benoo-'Ámir, ↓ هٰذَا أَخْيَرُ مِنْ هٰذَا, with أ, and in like manner, أَشَّرُ; but the rest of the Arabs drop the أ in each case: (Msb:) you say, مِنْكَ ↓ هُوَ أَخْيَرُ [He is better than thou], and in like manner, أَشَّرُ مِنْكَ; and هُوَ خَيْرٌ مِنْكَ, and in like manner, شَرٌّ مِنْكَ; and, [using the dim. form of خَيْرٌ,] مِنْكَ ↓ خُيَيْرٌ, and in like manner, شُرَيْرٌ مِنْكَ. (Ibn-Buzurj, TA.) You also say, when you mean to express the signification of superiority, فُلَانَةٌ خَيْرُ النَّاسِ [Such a woman is the best of mankind]; but not خَيْرَةُ: [see, however, what will be found cited hereafter from the K,] and فُلَانٌ خَيْرُ النَّاسِ [Such a man is the best of mankind]; but not ↓ أَخْيَرُ [unless in the dial. of the Benoo-'Ámir]: and [it is said that] خَيْرُ when thus used does not assume the dual form nor the pl., because it has the signification of [the measure] أَفْعَلُ: for though a poet uses the dual form, he uses it as a contraction of the dual of خَيِّرٌ, like مَيْتٌ and مَيِّتٌ, and هَيْنٌ and هَيِّنٌ: (S:) [but. this remark in the S is incorrect: for both خَيْر and ↓ أَخْيَر, when used in such phrases as those to which J here refers, have pl. forms of frequent occurrence, and of which examples will be found below; and, as is said by I 'Ak (p. 239), and by many other grammarians, you may say, الزَّيْدَانِ أَفْضَلَا القَوْمِ, and الزَّيْدُونَ أَفْضَلُو القَوْمِ and أَفَاضِلُ القَوْمِ, and also هِنْدُ فُضْلَىالنِّسَآءِ, &c.; and such concordance is found in the Kur, vi. 123; and is even said by many to be more chaste than the mode prescribed by J:] it is said in the K, that you say, ↓ هُوَ أَخْيَرُ مِنْكَ, like خَيْرُ; and when you mean the signification of superiority, you say فُلَانٌ خَيْرَةٌ النَّاسِ, with ة, and فُلَانَةُ خَيْرُهُمْ, without ة: but [SM says,] I know not how this is; for in the S is said what is different from this, and in like manner by Z in several places in the Ksh; and what is most strange is, that the author of the K quotes in the B the passage of J [from the S], and adopts the opinion of the leading authorities [as given in the S]: (TA:) or you say, فُلَانَةُ الخَيْرَةُ مِنَ المَرْأَتَيْنِ [Such a woman is the better of the two women]: and هِىَ الخَيْرَةُ, and ↓ الخِيرَةُ, [so in the TA, but in the CK الخِيَرَةُ,] and ↓ الخِيرَى, and ↓ الخُورَى, [the last being fem. of أَخْيَرُ, originally خُيْرَى, and so, app., the last but one, She is the better, or best:] (K:) and [using the dim. form of خَيْرٌ] you say, أَهْلِهِ ↓ هُوَ خُيَيْرُ [He is the best of his family]: (Ibn-Buzurj, TA:) one says also, to one coming from a journey, خَيْرَ مَا رُدَّ فِى أَهْلٍ وَمَالٍ, meaning May God make that with which thou comest [back] to be the best of what is brought back by the absent with family and property; (As, Meyd, TA;) or, as some relate it, خَيْرُ, i. e. رَدُّكَ خَيْرُ رَدٍّ [may thy bringing back be the best bringing back]; and فى is used in the sense of مَعَ: (Meyd:) [أَخْيَارٌ is pl. of pauc., and خِيَارٌ pl. of mult., and so app. is خِيرَانٌ, of خَيْرٌ thus used; and ↓ أَخَايِرُ is pl. of أَخْيَرُ, and so is أَخْيَرُونَ applied to rational beings: in the TA, أَخَايِرُ is said to be a pl. pl. of أَخْيَرُ, and so خِيرَانٌ; but this is app. a mistake, probably of transcription:] you say رَجُلٌ مِنْ خِيَارِ النَّاسِ and أَخْيَارِهِمْ and ↓ أَخَايِرِهِمْ [A man of the best of mankind]: (A, TA:) and لَكَ خِيَارُ هٰذِهِ الإِبِلِ, and ↓ خِيرَتُهَا, [Thine are, or is, or shall be, the best of these camels,] alike with respect to a sing. and a pl.: (TA:) and إِبِلِهِ ↓ نَحَرَ خِيرَةَ and إِبِلِهِ ↓ خُورَةَ [He slaughtered the best of his camels]: (IAar, TA:) and ↓ هُمُ الأَخْيَرُونَ [They (meaning men) are the better, or best]. (Ibn-Buzurj, TA.) -A2- مَا خَيْرَ for مَا أَخْيَرَ: see 4, in two places. -A3- خَيْرُ بَوَّآءُ [from the Persian خِيرْبُوَا Lesser cardamom;] a kind of small grain, resembling the قَاقُلَّة [or common cardamom], (K,) of sweet odour. (TA.)

Generousness; generosity; (S, A, Msb, K;) liberality; munificence. (Msb.) You say, فُلَانٌ ذُو خِيرٍ Such a one is a possessor of generousness, or generosity, &c. (Msb.) And هُوَ مِنْ وَالخِيرِ ↓ أَهْلِ الخَيْرِ [He is of the people of good, or of wealth, &c., and of generosity]. (A.) ― -b2- Eminence; elevated state or condition; nobility. (IAar, K.) ― -b3- Origin. (Lh, K.) ― -b4- Nature, or disposition. (A, K.) You say, هُوَ كَرِيمُ الخِيرِ He is generous in nature, or disposition. (A.) ― -b5- Form, aspect, or appearance; figure, person, mien, feature, or lineaments; guise, or external state or condition; or the like; syn. هَيْيأَةٌ. (Lh, K.)

[app. originally خُيْرَةٌ]: see خَيْرٌ, near the end of the paragraph; and see also art. خور.

fem. of خَيْرٌ [q. v.] used as an epithet: pl. خَيْرَاتٌ. (Akh, S, Msb.) ― -b2- [Also, used as a subst., or as an epithet in which the quality of a subst. is predominant, A good thing, of any kind: a good quality; an excellency: and a good act or action: &c.: pl. as above:] see خَيْرٌ, in the former half of the paragraph.