مَعْدِنٌ

, (S, Mgh, Msb, K, &c.,) and according to some مَعْدَنٌ also, but this is not of established authority, (TA,) A mine; i. e. a place of the origination of the جَوَاهِر [meaning native ores] of gold and the like: (K:) the place of the origination of anything, (Lth, Msb, K, TA,) as of gold, and of silver, and of other things: (Lth, TA:) or the gold, and silver, [and any other metal or mineral, such as is of value,] created by God in the earth: (Mgh:) so called because the people thereof remain there (S, Mgh, Msb, K) always, (K,) summer and winter; (S, Mgh, Msb;) or because the native ore created therein by God has remained fixed in it; (Msb; [and the like is said in the Mgh and K;]) or, as some say, from عَدَنْتُ الحَجَرَ meaning “ I pulled out the stone: ” (Ham p. 81:) the plural is مَعَادِنُ. (TA.) It signifies also A place of fixedness of anything. (S, TA.) And مَعَادِنُ signifies also Origins, or sources. (TA.) [Hence the saying,] هَجَرٌ مَعْدِنُ التَّمْرِ (assumed tropical:) [Hejer is famous as the place of production of dates]. (S in article بضع.) And [hence] one says, هُوَ مَعْدِنٌ لِلْخَيْرِ وَالكَرَمِ (tropical:) [He is a natural source of goodness and generosity], meaning that he was created with a disposition thereto. (TA.) [And هُمْ كِرَامُ المَعَادِنِ (assumed tropical:) They are generous in respect of their origins: see a verse cited voce إِنْ, p. 107.]