زَعَمَ

, (S, Msb,) aorist زَعُمَ , (Msb, MS, JM, [not mentioned in the S nor in the K, apparently because well known,]) verbal noun زَعْمٌ and زُعْمٌ and زعْمٌ, (S, Msb, K,) the first of the dialect of El-Hijáz, (Msb, TA,) the second of the dialect of [the tribe of] Asad, (Msb,) or Benoo-Temeem, (TA,) and the third of the dialect of some of [the tribe of] Keys; (Msb;) [generally best rendered He asserted; for it mostly relates to a thing not certainly known: or] he said; (S, Msb, K;) as in the phrases زَعَمَتِ الحَنَفِيَّةٌ [The Hanafees said or asserted, or have said or asserted,] and زَعَمَ سِيبَوَيْهِ [Seebaweyh said or asserted, or has said or asserted]; (Msb;) [and زَعَمَ أَنَّهُ كَذَا He said, or asserted, that it was thus;] either truly or falsely: (K:) mostly used in relation to a thing respecting which there is doubt, (Sh, Az, Msb, K,) and which is not certainly known: (Sh, Az, Msb:) or it is mostly used in relation to that which is false, or that respecting which there is doubt, or suspicion: (El-Marzookee, Msb:) or, as those skilled in the language of the Arabs say, in relation to a thing of which the speaker doubts, and does not know whether it may not be false: (Lth:) or زَعَمَ زَعْمًا means he related a piece of information not knowing whether it were true or false. (IKoot, Msb.) Hence the saying, زَعَمَ مَطِيَّةُ الكَذِبِ [i. e. (assumed tropical:) زَعَمَ is the conveyer, or vehicle, (properly the camel, or beast, that serves as the conveyer,) of lying]. (Msb.) It is said in a tradition, بِيءْسَ مَطِيَّةُ الرَّجُلِ زَعَمُوا [(assumed tropical:) Very evil, or bad, is the man's conveyer زَعَمُوا]: i. e., when a man desires to journey to a country, or town, he mounts his camel, or beast, that serves to convey him, and journeys until he accomplishes the object of his want: therefore, that with which the speaker prefaces his speech, and by means of which he attains the object of his desire, when he says زَعَمُوا كَذَا وَكَذَا, is likened to the camel, or beast, by means of which he attains the object of want: for زَعَمُوا is [generally] said only in the case of a narration that has no authority whereon to rest, and that contains no proof. (TA.) IKh says that الزَّعْمُ is used in relation to that which is discommended; and that its primary signification is said by some of the expositors of the Qur'an to be The act of lying: (TA: [this signification is also given in the K, as being contr. to the first:]) some say that it is metonymically used in this sense: (Msb:) and it is explained as having this meaning in the Qur'an, 6:137, where it is said, فَقَالُوا هٰذَا لِلّٰهِ بِزَعْمِهِمْ, i. e. [And they have said, “ This belongeth unto God, ”] with their lying. (Lth, TA.)

[Sometimes] زَعَمَهُ signifies He described him, or it. (Har p. 204.)

And sometimes زَعَمَ signifies He promised: whence the saying of ' Amr Ibn-Sha-s,

تَقُولُ هَلَكْنَا إِنْ هَلَكْتَ وَإِنَّمَا

عَلَىاللّٰهُ أَرْزَاقُ العِبَادِ كَمَا زَعَمْ

[Thou sayest, or she says, “ We perish if thou perish: ” but verily upon God lie the means of subsistence of mankind, i. e. it lies upon Him to supply these, as He has promised]. (TA.)

الزَّعْمُ is used also in the sense of الظَّنُّ: (Msb, TA:) one says, فِى زَعْمِى كَذَا [In my opinion it is thus]. (Msb.) [Hence, likewise,] زَعَمْتَنِى كَذَا, (K,) aorist تَزْعُمُنِى, (TA,) Thou thoughtest me to be thus. (K, TA.) Aboo-Dhu-eyb says,

فَإِنْ تُزْعُمِينِى كُنْتُ أَجْهَلُ فِيكُمُ

فَإِنِّى شَرَيْتُ الحِلْمَ بَعْدَكِ بِالجَهْلِ

[And if thou think me such that I used to be ignorant, or to act ignorantly, among you, know that I have purchased intelligence since I was with thee (بَعْدَكِ being for بَعْدَ عَهْدِى بِكِ) in exchange for ignorance]. (TA. [The meaning of تزعمينى is there indicated by the context.])

It is also used in the sense of الاِعْتِقَادُ: whence the saying in the Qur'an, 64:7, زَعَمَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُو أَنْ لَنْ يُبْعَثُوا [They who have disbelieved our revelations have believed, or firmly believed, that they shall not be raised from the dead]. (Msb.)

Sometimes, also, زَعَمَ is used in the sense of شَهِدَ: as in the saying of En-Nábighah,

زَعَمَ الهُمَامُ بِأَنَّ فَاهَا بَارِدٌ

[apparently meaning The magnanimous chief bore witness that her mouth was cool]. (TA.)

-A2- زَعَمَ بِهِ, (S, Msb, K,) aorist زَعُمَ (S, Msb) and زَعَمَ , (Msb,) verbal noun زَعْمٌ (S, Msb, K) and زَعَامَةٌ, (S, K,) or the latter is a simple subst., (Msb,) He was, or became, responsible, answerable, amenable, surety, or guarantee, for it; (S, Msb, K;) namely, property. (Msb.)

And زَعَمَ, like قَتَلَ, (Msb,) or زَعُمَ, like كَرُمَ, (TA,) aorist زَعُمَ , verbal noun زَعَامَةٌ, He was, or became, chief, lord, master, or prince, (Msb, TA,) of a people, (TA,) or عَلَى قَوْمٍ [over a people]; (Msb;) or spokesman of a people. (TA.)

-A3- See also 4, in two places.

-A4- زَعِمَ, aorist زَعَمَ , (S, K,) verbal noun زَعَمٌ (S, TA) and زَعْمٌ, (TA,) He coveted, or eagerly desired. (S, K.) [Like its synonym طَمِعَ, it is transitive by means of فِى.] One says, ↓ زَعِمَ فُلَانٌ فِى غَيْرِ مَزْعَمٍ, i. e. طَمِعَ فى غَيْرِ مَطْعَمٍ [Such a one coveted a thing not to be coveted; meaning, a thing of which the attainment was remote, or improbable: see article طمع]. (TA.) And ' Antarah says,

عُلِّقْتُهَا عَرَضًا وَأَقْتُلُ قَوْمَهَا

زَعَمًا لَعَمْرُ أَبِيكَ لَيْسَ بِمَزْعَمِ

(S,) i. e. I became enamoured of her unintentionally, [or accidentally,] while I was slaying her people; eagerly desiring her love: by the life of thy father, I swear, this is not a [fit] occasion for eager desire: i. e. I can not attain to holding communion of love with thee, [or with her,] any day, while there is this conflict and hostility between the two tribes: (EM p. 222:) لَيْسَ بِمَزْعَمٍ meaning لَيْسَ بِمَطْمَعٍ : (S:) or, [as some relate it,]

زَعْمًا وَرَبِّ البَيْتِ لَيْسَ بِمَزْعَمِ

[eagerly desiring: by the Lord of the House (i. e. the Kaabeh), &c.]. (TA. [زَعْمًا is there expressly said to be thus: but the measure does not require its being so.])