وَسْوَاسٌ

a subst. from وَسْوَسَ; (S, Msb, K;) signifying, [Speech, or talk, that is indistinct: or low, faint, gentle, or soft: or low, &c., and confused: see 1.

And hence,] The soul's, or mind's, (S, M, Msb, K,) and the devil's, (K,) prompting, or suggestion, or talk, (S, M, Msb, K,) of what is vain, or unprofitable, and destitute of good; (K;) as also ↓ وَسْوَسَةٌ [used as subst., in which case its plural is وَسَاوِسُ, occurring below]. (S, K.)

[And hence,] (assumed tropical:) An evil, or unprofitable, idea, imagination, or thought, which bestirs itself in, or occurs to, the mind. (Msb.)

And [by a metonymy,] (assumed tropical:) A certain disease, [i. e. melancholia, in which is a doting in the imagination and judgment, a sort of delirium, vulgarly attributed to diabolical prompting or suggestion, but, it is said,] arising from a predominance of the black bile, attended with confusion of the intellect. (Msb.)

[And from the primary signification seem to be derived those which here follow.] (assumed tropical:) The low, or faintly heard, sound of the hunter and the dogs. (S, K.)

(assumed tropical:) A low or faint sound [or rustling] of wind; as also ↓ وَسْوَسَةٌ. (M.)

(tropical:) The sounds, (S,) or sound, (M, K,) of women's ornaments: (S, M, K:) [the chinking thereof: see 1.]

-A2- Also, الوَسْوَاسُ The devil; (M, K;) a name of the devil: (S:) it occurs in verse 4 of the last chap. of the Qur'an; and is said to mean there ذُو الوَسْوَاسِ [the prompter, or suggester, of what is vain, or unprofitable, and destitute of good. (M.)