خَيْرٌ
1.
[Good, moral or physical; anything that is good, real or ideal, and actual or potential; and, being originally a verbal noun, used as sing and plural;] a thing that all desire; such as intelligence, for instance, and equity; (Er-Rághib, and so in some copies of the K;) [or goodness;] and excellence; and what is profitable or useful; benefit; (Er-Rághib;) opposite of
شَرٌّ: (S, A, Msb:) plural خُيُورٌ, (Msb, K,) and also, according to the Msb,
خِيَارٌ: (TA:) [but this latter seems to be properly plural only of خَيْرٌ used as an epithet (see below) and as a noun denoting the comparative and superlative degrees: it may however be used as an epithet in which the quality of a subst. is predominant:] خير is of two kinds: namely, absolute خير, which is what is desired in all circumstances and by every person: and what is
خير [or good] to one and
شرّ [or evil] to another; as, for instance, (Er-Rághib,) wealth, or property: (Zj, L in article شد, Er-Rághib, K:) it has this last signification, namely wealth, or property, in the Qur'an, 2:176 (S, TA) and ii. 274 and xxiv. 33 and xli. 49: or in the first and second of these instances it is thus called to imply the meaning of wealth, or property, that has been collected in a praiseworthy manner, or it means much wealth or property; and this is its meaning in the first of the instances mentioned above, agreeably with a tradition of 'Alee; and also in the Qur'an, 100:8: (TA:) [being used as a plural (as well as a singular), it may be also rendered good things:] and it is also used by the Arabs to signify horses; (K, * TA;) and has this meaning in the Qur'an, 38:31: (TA:) [it is often best rendered good fortune; prosperity; welfare; wellbeing; weal; happiness; or a good state or condition: and sometimes bounty, or beneficence.] رَجُلٌ قَلِيلُ
الخَيْرِ means [A man possessing little, or no, good; possessing few, or no, good things; or poor: and in whom is little, or no, good or goodness; or niggardly: and also] a man who does little good: (TA in article عص:) or [who does no good;] who is not near to doing good; denoting the nonexistence of good in him. (Msb in article قل.) [Thus it sometimes means the same as رَجُلٌ لَا
خَيْرَ فِيهِ
A man in whom is no good or goodness; devoid of goodness; worthless.] And قِلَّةُ خَيْرٍ means Poverty: and also niggardliness. (A and TA in article جحد.) هُوَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الخَيْرِ وَالخِيرِ is explained voce خِيرٌ. عَلَىيَدَىِ الخَيْرِ وَاليُمْنِ [May it be with the aid of good fortune and prosperity] is a prayer used with respect to a marriage. (A 'Obeyd, TA.) And إِنَّكَ مَا وَخَيْرًا means مَعَ خَيْرٍ, i. e., Mayest thou meet with, or attain, good. (K.)
2.
خَيْرٌ in the phrase فُلَانٌ خَيْرٌ resembles an epithet [like
خَيِّرٌ, and signifies Good; or possessing good]; (Akh, S;) therefore the feminine is خَيْرَةٌ, of which the plural is خَيْرَاتٌ, (Akh, S, Msb, *) as occurring in the Qur'an, 55:70; and they do not [there] mean by it [the comparative or superlative signification of the measure] أَفْعَلُ: (Akh, S:) you say
رَجُلٌ خَيِّرٌ, (S, A, Msb,) meaning [A good man; or] a man possessing
خَيْر [or good]; (Msb;) and رَجُلٌ خَيْرٌ: (S:) and in like manner,
اِمْرَأَةٌ خَيِّرَةٌ and خَيْرَةٌ, (S, Msb,) meaning [A good woman; or] a woman excellent in beauty and disposition: (Msb:) or خَيْرٌ and
خَيِّرٌ signify possessing much
خَيْر [or good], (K,) applied to a man; (TA;) and in the same sense you say
رَجُلٌ خَيْرَى, and
خُورَى, and
خِيَرى: and the feminine of the first is خَيْرَةٌ; and of the second,
خَيِّرَةٌ: (K:) and the plural [of pauc.] (of the first, TA) is أَخْيَارٌ, and [of mult.] خِيَارٌ: (A, Msb, K:) you say also خِيَارُ المَالِ, meaning The excellent of the camels or the like: (Msb, K:) and in like manner you say of men &c.: (TA:) [see also below:] and the feminine is خَيْرَةٌ, of which the plural is خَيْرَاتٌ: (Msb:) خِيَارٌ is opposite of
أَشْرَارٌ, (S, Mgh,) [thus] used as an epithet: (Mgh:) and
خَيْرَةٌ [used as a subst.] signifies anything excellent; and the plural thereof in this sense, خَيْرَاتٌ, occurs in the Qur'an, 9:89: (S:) or خَيْرٌ, (K,) or the feminine خَيْرَةٌ, (Lth,) or each, (K.) signifies excellent in beauty: (Lth, K:) and
خَيِّرٌ and خَيِّرَةٌ signify excellent in righteousness (Lth, K) and religion: (K:) or there is no difference in the opinion of the lexicologists [in general] between خَيْرَةٌ and
خَيِّرَةٌ: (Az:) according to Zj, خَيْرَاتٌ and
خَيِّرَاتٌ, both occurring in different readings of the Qur'an, 55:70, signify good in dispositions: according to Khálid Ibn-Jembeh, خَيْرَةٌ, applied to a woman, signifies generous in race, exalted in rank or quality or reputation, goodly in face, good in disposition, possessing much wealth, who, if she bring forth, brings forth a generous child: (TA:) [
خِيَارٌ is also applied as an epithet to a singular subst., either masculine or feminine:] you say جَمَلٌ
خِيَارٌ and نَاقَةٌ خِيَارٌ, meaning A he-camel [that is excellent or] excellent and brisk and so a she-camel. (TA.) See also مُخْتَارٌ, in three places. In the saying لَعَمَرُ أَبِيكَ الخَيْرُ, the word خَيْر is in the nom. case as an epithet of عَمْر; [so that the phrase lit. means By the good life of thy father;] but properly it should be لَعَمْرُ أَبِيكَ
الخَيْرِ [By the life of thy good father]: and the like is said with شَرّ. (TA.) [See also article عمر.]
3.
خَيْرٌ is also used to denote superiority: one says, هٰذَا خَيْرٌ مِنْ هٰذَا
This is better than this: and in the dialect of the Benoo-'Ámir,
هٰذَا أَخْيَرُ
مِنْ هٰذَا, with أ, and in like manner, أَشَّرُ; but the rest of the Arabs drop the أ in each case: (Msb:) you say, مِنْكَ
هُوَ أَخْيَرُ [He is better than thou], and in like manner, أَشَّرُ مِنْكَ; and هُوَ خَيْرٌ مِنْكَ, and in like manner, شَرٌّ مِنْكَ; and, [using the diminutive form of خَيْرٌ,] مِنْكَ
خُيَيْرٌ, and in like manner, شُرَيْرٌ مِنْكَ. (Ibn-Buzurj, TA.) You also say, when you mean to express the signification of superiority, فُلَانَةٌ خَيْرُ النَّاسِ [Such a
woman is the best of mankind]; but not خَيْرَةُ: [see, however, what will be found cited hereafter from the K,] and فُلَانٌ خَيْرُ النَّاسِ [Such a man is the best of mankind]; but not
أَخْيَرُ [unless in the dialect of the Benoo-'Ámir]: and [it is said that] خَيْرُ when thus used does not assume the dual form nor the plural, because it has the signification of [the measure] أَفْعَلُ: for though a poet uses the dual form, he uses it as a contraction of the dual of خَيِّرٌ, like مَيْتٌ and مَيِّتٌ, and هَيْنٌ and هَيِّنٌ: (S:) [but. this remark in the S is incorrect: for both خَيْر and
أَخْيَر, when used in such phrases as those to which J here refers, have plural forms of frequent occurrence, and of which examples will be found below; and, as is said by I 'Ak (p. 239), and by many other grammarians, you may say, الزَّيْدَانِ أَفْضَلَا القَوْمِ, and الزَّيْدُونَ أَفْضَلُو القَوْمِ and أَفَاضِلُ القَوْمِ, and also هِنْدُ فُضْلَىالنِّسَاءِ, &c.; and such concordance is found in the Qur'an, 6:123; and is even said by many to be more chaste than the mode prescribed by J:] it is said in the K, that you say,
هُوَ أَخْيَرُ
مِنْكَ, like خَيْرُ; and when you mean the signification of superiority, you say فُلَانٌ خَيْرَةٌ النَّاسِ, with ة, and فُلَانَةُ خَيْرُهُمْ, without ة: but [SM says,] I know not how this is; for in the S is said what is different from this, and in like manner by Z in several places in the Ksh; and what is most strange is, that the author of the K quotes in the B the passage of J [from the S], and adopts the opinion of the leading authorities [as given in the S]: (TA:) or you say, فُلَانَةُ الخَيْرَةُ مِنَ المَرْأَتَيْنِ [Such a woman is the better of the two women]: and هِىَ الخَيْرَةُ, and
الخِيرَةُ, [so in the TA, but in the CK الخِيَرَةُ,] and
الخِيرَى, and
الخُورَى, [the last being feminine of أَخْيَرُ, originally خُيْرَى, and so, apparently, the last but one, She is the better, or best:] (K:) and [using the diminutive form of خَيْرٌ] you say, أَهْلِهِ
هُوَ خُيَيْرُ [He is the best of his family]: (Ibn-Buzurj, TA:) one says also, to one coming from a journey, خَيْرَ مَا رُدَّ فِى أَهْلٍ
وَمَالٍ, meaning May God make that with which thou comest [back] to be the best of what is brought back by the absent with family and property; (As, Meyd, TA;) or, as some relate it, خَيْرُ, i. e. رَدُّكَ خَيْرُ رَدٍّ [may thy bringing back be the best bringing back]; and فى is used in the sense of مَعَ: (Meyd:) [أَخْيَارٌ is plural of pauc., and خِيَارٌ plural of mult., and so apparently is خِيرَانٌ, of خَيْرٌ thus used; and
أَخَايِرُ is plural of أَخْيَرُ, and so is أَخْيَرُونَ applied to rational beings: in the TA, أَخَايِرُ is said to be a plural plural of أَخْيَرُ, and so خِيرَانٌ; but this is apparently a mistake, probably of transcription:] you say رَجُلٌ مِنْ خِيَارِ النَّاسِ and أَخْيَارِهِمْ and
أَخَايِرِهِمْ [A man of the best of mankind]: (A, TA:) and لَكَ خِيَارُ هٰذِهِ الإِبِلِ, and
خِيرَتُهَا, [Thine are, or is, or shall be, the best of these camels,] alike with respect to a singular and a plural: (TA:) and إِبِلِهِ
نَحَرَ خِيرَةَ and إِبِلِهِ
خُورَةَ [He slaughtered the best of his camels]: (IAar, TA:) and
هُمُ الأَخْيَرُونَ [They (meaning men) are the better, or best]. (Ibn-Buzurj, TA.)
4.
مَا خَيْرَ for مَا أَخْيَرَ: see 4, in two places.