مَعِيشَةٌ
1.
verbal noun of عَاشَ [q. v.]. (K.)
2.
Also Victuals, living, sustenance, or food and drink by which one lives; (Lth, A, O, K;) as also
عَيْشٌ; (A;) whence you say that dates are the عَيْش of such a family: (TA:) that whereby life subsists; the means of life or subsistence; (A, K;) as also
عَيْشٌ: (A, TA:) that whereby one lives; as also
عَيْشٌ (A, K, TA) and
مَعَاشٌ and
مَعِيشٌ; (TA;) or [the state] wherein one lives; (A, K, TA;) as also
عَيْشٌ (A) and
مَعَاشٌ and
مَعِيشٌ: (TA:) the means of obtaining that whereby one lives: (Aboo-Is-hák, TA:) the gain, or earnings, by means of which a man lives; (Mgh, Msb;) as also
مَعِيشٌ: (Msb:) the plural is مَعَايِشُ, (S, O, Msb,) according to general opinion, (Msb,) without ء, (S, O, Msb,) when formed from the original of the singular, which is مَعْيِشَةٌ, of the measure مَفْعِلَةٌ; (S, O;) or because it is from عَاشَ, so that the measure of the plural is مَفَاعِلُ: (Msb:) but when it is formed from the secondary form of the singular, it is with ء, [مَعَايءِشُ,] مَفْعِلَةٌ being in this case likened to فَعِيلَةٌ, like as مَصَايءِبُ is with ء because the ى [in its singular] is quiescent; but some of the grammarians hold this latter plural to be incorrect: (S, O:) all the Basree grammarians hold it to be so: (TA:) or, according to some,
مَعِيشٌ and مَعِيشَةٌ are from معش; and the plural in question is therefore of the measure فَعَايءِلُ, with ء. (Msb.)
3.
مَعِيشَةٌ ضَنْكٌ The punishment of the grave: (O, K:) so, according to most of the expositors, in the Qur'an, 20:123: or, as some say, [strait sustenance] in the fire of hell. (O, TA.)