عَاثُورٌ
1.
A pit dug for a lion or other [animal], (S, A, O,) that he may fall into it, (A,) in order that he may be taken: (S, O:) this is the primary signification: (A:) or a thing that is prepared for one to fall into it: (K:) or, as also عثار [i. e.
عَثَارٌ or
عِثَارٌ (see what follows)], a thing by which one is made to stumble and fall; explained by بِهِ
مَا عُثِرَ: (TA:) the plural is عَوَاثِيرُ; whence, perhaps, عَوَاثِرُ, by suppression of the ى. (O, TA. [See عَاثرٌ.])
2.
[Hence,] (assumed tropical:) A place of perdition: (TA voce حَاجُورٌ:) or (tropical:) a cause, or place, of perdition or of death: (A, K:) applied to a land. (K.) You say, وَقَعَ فِى عَاثُورٍ (tropical:) He fell into a cause, or place, of perdition or of death. (A, TA.) And فُلَانٌ يَقِى صَاحِبَهُ العَوَاثِرَ (tropical:) [Such a one preserves his companion from the causes, or places, of perdition or of death]. (A.) And it is said in a tradition, إِنَّ قُرَيْشًا أَهْلُ أَمَانَةٍ مَنْ
بَغَاهَا العَوَاثِيرَ كَبَّهُ اللّٰهُ لِمَنْخِرَيْهِ (assumed tropical:) [Verily the tribe of Kureysh are people of fidelity: whoso seeks for them the causes, or places, of perdition or of death, may God lay him prostrate upon his nostrils]: or, according to one relation, عَوَاثِرَ. (O, TA.)
3.
And [hence,] (tropical:) Difficulty, or distress; as also عَاثُورُ شَرٍّ: (S, O:) and evil; (K, TA;) like عَاذُورٌ, which is a dialect var. thereof, or an instance of mispronunciation; (S and O in article عذر;) as also
عَثَارٌ, (according to some copies of the K,) or
عِثَارٌ: (thus in other copies of the K and in the TA [in the latter of which it is said to be with kesr; and this I think to be the more probably correct; originally a verbal noun]:) and شَرٍّ
عِثَارُ is said by Fr to signify the same as عَاثُورُ شَرٍّ. (TA.) You say, لَقِيتُ مِنْهُ عَاثُورًا, (As, S, O, TA,) and
عِثَارًا, (TA,) (tropical:) I experienced from him, or it, difficulty, or distress. (As, S, O, TA.) And وَقَعُوا فِى عَاثُورِ شَرٍّ, (As, S, O, TA,) and عَافُورِ شَرٍّ, (S, O,) (tropical:) They fell into difficulty, or distress: (As, S, O:) or into a confusion of evil and difficulty or distress. (TA.) It is the opinion of Yaakoob that the ف in عَافُور is a substitute for the ث in عَاثُور: but Az observes that this is not necessarily the case, as the meaning of difficulty is implied in the root عفر. (TA.)
4.
It is said to signify also A kind of snare (مِصْيَدَة) made of bark. (O.)
5.
And A channel that is dug for the purpose of irrigating thereby a palm-tree such as is termed
بَعْلٌ. (O.)
6.
And A well. (K.)