اثِرٌ

One who relates, or recites, a tradition, narrative, or story, or traditions, &c., as received, or heard, from another, or others; a narrator thereof. (T, S, * L.) The saying of 'Omar, on his being forbidden by Mohammad to swear by his father, مَا حَلَفْتُ بِهِ ذَاكِراً وَلَا اثِرًا, means I did not swear by him uttering (the oath) as proceeding in the first instance from myself, nor repeating (it) as heard from another particular person. (A'Obeyd, T, S, TA.)

أَفْعَلُ هذَا اثِرًا مَّا, (IAar, T, S, K,) and اثِرًاwithout ما, (IAar, T,) and ↓ اثِرَ ذِى أَثِيرٍ, (S, K,) mean I will do this the first of every thing. (S, K. *) And in like manner, after لَقِيتُهُ[I met him, or it], one says, اثِرًا مَّا, [and ↓ اثِرَ ذِى أَثِيرٍ,] and ↓ أَوَّلَ ذِى أَثِيرٍ, (M, K,) and اثِرَ ذَاتِ يَدِى, (M,) or ذَاتِ يَدَيْنِ, (K,) and ذِى يَدَيْنِ, (IAar, M, K,) and ↓ أَثِيرَةَ ذِى أَثِيرٍ, and ↓ ذِى أثِيرَيْنِ ↓ إُثْرَةَ, (K,) and ↓ اثِرَ ذِى أَثِيرَيْنِ, (M, as from Lh,) or ↓ ذِى أَثِيرَيْنِ ↓ أَثَرَ, (K,) and ↓ ذِى أَثِيرَيْنِ, ↓ إِثْرَ and مَّا ↓ إِثْرَةً: (Lh, M, K:) or, as some say, ↓ الأَثِيرُsignifies the daybreak, or down; and ↓ ذُو أَثِيرٍ, the time thereof. (M, TA.) Fr says that اِبْدَأْ بِهذَا اثِرًا مَّا, and ↓ اثِرَ ذِى أَثِيرٍ, and ↓ أَثِيرَ ذِى أَثِيرٍ, signify Begin thou with this first of every thing. (TA.) One says also, اِفْعَلْهُ, اثِرًا مَّا, (T, M, TA,) and مَّا ↓ إِثْرًا, (M, TA,) meaning Do thou it [at least], if thou do nothing else: (T, M, TA:) or, as some say, do thou it in preference to another thing, or to other things: ماbeing redundant, but [in this case] not to be omitted, because [it is a corroborative, and] the meaning of the phrase is, do thou it by choice, or preference, and with care. (M, TA.) Mbr says that the phrase خُذْ هذَا اثِرًا مَّاmeans Take thou this in preference; i. e., I give it thee in preference; as though one desired to take, of another, one thing, and had another thing offered to him for sale: and ماis here redundant. (T, TA.)