أَثَرَةٌ

A subst. [signifying The appropriation of a thing or things to oneself exclusively: the having a thing to oneself, with none to share with him in it:] from اِسْتَأْثَرَ بِالشَّىْءِ. (S, M.) And, as also أُثْرَةٌand إِثْرَةٌand إُثْرَى, The choice for oneself [in preference to his companions] of good things, (M, * K, * TA,) in partition; (M, TA;) the choice and preference of the best of things, and taking it, or them, for oneself: (TA:) the plural of the second is أُثَرٌ. (TA.) You say, أَخَذَهُ بِلَا أَثَرَةٍ, and بلا أُثْرَةٍ, [&c.,] He took it without a choice and preference of the best of the things, and the taking the best for himself. (T, TA.) And a poet says,

فَقُلْتَ لَهُ يَا ذِيءْبُ هَلْ لَكَ فىِ أَخٍ

عَلَيْكَ وَلَا بُخْلِ يُوءَاسِي بِلَا أُثْرَي

[And I said to him, O wolf, hast thou a desire for a brother who will share without choice of the best things for himself in preference to thee, and without niggardness?]. (M, TA.) See also أُثْرَةٌ.