1 زَكَا , aor. يَزْكُو, (S, Msb, K, &c.,) inf. n. زَكَآءٌ, (S,) or زُكُوٌّ, (Msb, [accord. to which the former seems to be a simple subst.,]) or both, (K, TA,) the latter like عُلُوٌّ, as in the M, but accord. to [some of] the copies of the K زَكْوٌ, (TA,) It increased, or augmented; (S, Msb, K, TA;) it received increase and blessing from God; it throve by the blessing of God; (Er-Rághib, TA;) and produced fruit; (TA in art. زكى;) and زَكِىَ, (K in that art.,) aor. يَزْكَى, inf. n. زَكَاةٌ, (TA in that art.,) signifies the same, (K, TA,) mentioned by ISd, on the authority of Lh, as a dial. var. of زَكَا, aor. يزكو; (TA;) and so ↓ ازكى ; (Msb, K;) and ↓ تزكّى : (K in art. زكى:) it is said of seed-produce, (S, Msb, Er-Rághib, TA,) and of wealth, or cattle &c., and of other things: of anything that increases, or augments, one says يَزْكُو, inf. n. زَكَآءٌ. (TA.) [This is the primary meaning: or, accord. to some, the primary meaning is, It was, or became, pure:] some say that the root denotes purity: and some, that it denotes a state of increase, or augmentation. (Mgh.) You say also زَكَتِ الأَرْضُ The land throve, or yielded increase. (Msb.) And زَكَا الغُلَامُ [The boy grew, or throve], inf. n. زُكُوٌّ and زَكَآءٌ, on the authority of Akh. (S.) And زَكَا عَمَلُهُ (assumed tropical:) [His deed, or work, throve]. (K in art. در.) It is said in a trad. of 'Alee, المَالُ تَنْقُصُهُ النَّفَقَةُ وَالعِلْمُ يَزْكُو عَلَى الإِِنْفَاقِ (assumed tropical:) [Wealth, what one expends diminishes it, but knowledge increases by expending]: زَكَآء being thus predicated of knowledge, though this is not a corporeal thing. (TA.) Accord. to El-Umawee, (S,) said of a man, زَكَا, (S, K,) aor. يَزْكُو, inf. n. زُكُوٌّ, (S,) means He enjoyed, or led, a plentiful, and a pleasant or an easy, and a soft or delicate, life; (S, K;) was in a state of abundance of the goods, conveniences, or comforts, of life. (S.) And likewise said of a man, (having the same aor. and inf. n., TA,) it means also He was, or became, good, or righteous; (Jel in xxiv. 21, Msb, K, TA;) and pure from sin. (Jel ibid.) [Hence,] هٰذَا الأَمْرُ لَا يَزْكُو بِفُلَانٍ means This thing, or affair, will not be suitable to such a one; will not befit him. (S.) 2 زكّاهُ , inf. n. تَزْكِيَةٌ: see 4. ― -b2- Also He purified him, or it. (Er-Rághib, TA.) Sometimes the agent of the verb in this sense is a man; as in the saying in the Kur [xci. 9], قَدْ أَفْلَحَ مَنْ زَكَّاهَا [Verily he prospereth who purifieth it; namely, his soul]: sometimes it is God; as in [the saying in the Kur xxiv. 21,] وَلٰكِنَّ اللّٰهَ يُزَكِّى مَنْ يَشَآءُ [But God purifieth whom He willeth]: and sometimes it is the Prophet; as in the saying [in the Kur ix. 104], خُذْ مِنْ أَمْوَالِهِمْ صَدَقَةً تُطَهِّرُهُمْ وَتُزَكِّيهِمْ بِهَا [Take thou, from their possessions, a poor-rate, whereby thou shalt cleanse them and purify them; where (J says in the S) they say that تُزَكِّيهِمْ means the same as تُطَهِّرُهُمْ]; and in the saying [in the Kur ii. 146], يَتْلُو عَلَيْكُمْ آيَاتِنَا وَيُزَكِّيكُمْ [Who reciteth to you our signs, and purifieth you]. (Er-Rághib, TA.) ― -b3- [Hence, accord. to what is said in the Kur ix. 104, i. e. because the act which it signifies is believed to purify the performer, or because it is believed to purify, or to occasion an increase of, the rest of his property,] زكّى مَالَهُ, (S, Mgh, Msb,) inf. n. as above, (S, Msb,) He gave the زَكَاة [or poorrate] from his property. (S, Mgh.) And زكّاهُ, (S,) or زكّاهُمْ, (Mgh,) He took (S, Mgh) his, (S,) or their, (Mgh,) زَكَاة [or poor-rate]. (S, Mgh.) ― -b4- زَكَّيْتُهُ also signifies I attributed to him زَكَآء, i. e. [purity, or] goodness, or righteousness. (Msb.) [And hence, I praised him.] And زكّى نَفْسَهُ, (S, Mgh,) inf. n. as above, (S,) He praised himself. (S, Mgh.) The doing this is forbidden in the Kur liii. 33. (Er-Rághib, TA.) Hence, also, تَزْكِيَةُ الشُّهُودِ The pronouncing the witnesses to be veracious, and good, or righteous. (Mgh.) -A2- هُوَ يُخَسِّى وَيُزَكِّى He plays, and says, “ Is it even or odd [or rather odd or even]?” (TA in art. خسو;) he takes, or holds, something in his hand, and says, “ Is it even or odd [or odd or even]?” (TA in the present art.) [See زَكَا below.] 4 ازكاهُ He (God) made it to increase, or augment; (S, Msb, K;) [made it to thrive; and put it into a good, or right, state, or condition;] namely, seed-produce, (S, Msb, TA,) and wealth, or cattle &c, and any other thing capable of increase; (TA;) as also ↓ زكّاهُ , (Msb, K, TA,) inf. n. تَزْكِيَةٌ. (TA.) ― -b2- Also He put it into a bag, or some other receptacle; namely, property: thus expl. by Aboo-Moosŕ. (Nh, TA.) -A2- See also 1, first sentence. 5 تزكّى : see 1, first sentence. ― -b2- Also He became purified; or he purified himself: (TA:) also pronounced اِزَّكَّى, aor. يَزَّكَّى. (Bd in xxxv. 19.) ― -b3- And He endeavoured to attain much piety; from الزَّكَآءُ. (Bd in lxxxvii. 14.) ― -b4- And He gave the poor-rate. (S.) زَكَا , (S, K, * TA,) without tenween, and accord. to some with tenween, and not having the article ال prefixed to it; and in like manner خَسَا, which is coupled with the former, is without tenween, and accord. to some with tenween, and not having the article ال prefixed to it; (TA;) [but each has ال prefixed to it in the K;] i. q. الشَّفْعُ (S, K) مِنَ العَدَدِ (K) [or شَفْعٌ, as meaning An even number; a number consisting of pairs; or a single pair]: said to be so called because the pair are more, or more perfect, or better, (↓ أَزْكَى ,) than is the one. (TA.) You say خَسَا أَوْ زَكَا or خَسًا أَوْ زَكًا [Odd or even?]. (TA.) [See more voce خَسَا.] زَكَاةٌ . or زَكٰوةٌ, [accord. to El-Hareeree, to be written with ا when prefixed to a pronoun, and also in the dual number, (see De Sacy's Anthol. Gram. Arabe, p. 67 of the Arabic text,) but this rule I have not found to be generally observed, even in the best MSS., nor have I in the similar cases of صَلٰوةٌ and حَيٰوةٌ, (to which it is also applied,) in the best copies of the Kur-án,] of the measure فَعَلَةٌ, [i. e., originally زَكَوَةٌ,] like صَدَقَةٌ [which is one of its syns.]; a noun of the class of homonyms: (IAth, TA:) it signifies Increase, or augmentation, (IAth, Er-Rághib, TA,) as also ↓ زَكَآءٌ [mentioned in the first paragraph as an inf. n.], (Msb,) resulting from the blessing of God; and this is [said to be] the primary meaning; and is considered as relating to the things of the present world and to those of the world to come. (Er-Rághib, TA.) ― -b2- And Purity. (IAth, TA.) And [particularly] The dryness of the earth or ground; which is its purity from defilement. (TA.) ― -b3- And Purification: a meaning which it is said to have in the saying in the Kur [xxiii. 4], وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ لِلزَّكٰوةِ فَاعِلُونَ, (IAth, Mgh, Er-Rághib, TA,) i. e. And who are acting in their religious service for God's purification of them; or for their purification of themselves: for لِلزَّكٰوة is not here an objective complement of فَاعِلُونَ; the ل therein denoting the aim and the cause. (Er-Rághib, TA.) ― -b4- Also, [as being a mode of purification of oneself,] Good, or righteous, conduct: and in this sense it has been expl. as used in the Kur xviii. 80: or as meaning goodness, or righteousness: (TA:) which ↓ زَكَآءٌ [also] signifies. (Msb.) And Religious service; as being the means of purification: so [accord. to some] it signifies in the saying [in the Kur xix. 14], وَحَنَانًا مِنْ لَدُنَّا وَزَكٰوةً [And the disposition to mercy, or compassion, from us, and religious service]: (Er-Rághib, TA:) or it here means طُهْرَة [i. e. purification, or purity]: and [accord. to some, if we except the instances mentioned above in the next two preceding sentences,] this is the only instance in the Kur-án in which it is used in any other sense than that which next follows. (Kull p. 199.) ― -b5- And [The poor-rate;] the portion, or amount, of property, that is given therefrom, (M, IAth, Mgh, Msb, K, Er-Rághib, TA,) as the due of God, (Er-Rághib, TA,) by its possessor, (M, K, TA,) to the poor, (M, Mgh, Er-Rághib, TA,) in order that he may purify it thereby: (M, IAth, K, TA:) [in the S it is merely said that “ the زَكٰوة of property is well known: ” the giving it is obligatory, provided that the property is of a certain amount, and has been in possession eleven months: the portion given varies according to the nature and amount of the property; but is generally a fortieth part thereof, or of its value; i. e. two and a half per cent.:] it is thus termed [for the reason assigned above; or] as being a cause of the hope of increase, (Msb, Er-Rághib, TA,) or as causing the soul, or person, to thrive, or grow, by means of good things and blessings [procured thereby], or for both of these reasons. (Er-Rághib, TA.) زَكَاةُ الفِطْرِ [The alms of the breaking of the fast, given at the end of Ramadán,] is obligatory upon every person of the Muslims, the free and the slave, the male and the female, the young and the old, the poor and the rich; and purifies the faster from unprofitable and lewd discourse: it consists of a صَاع [q. v.] of dates, or of barley, [or of raisins or some other ordinary kind of food,] or half that quantity of wheat. (El-Jámi' es-Sagheer, voce زَكَاة.) [The pl. is زَكَوَاتٌ.] ― -b6- Also, [as being an attribution of purity or goodness or righteousness,] Praise. (IAth, TA.) ― -b7- And The pure, or best, part of a thing: (K, TA:) on the authority of Aboo-'Alee. (TA.) زَكَآءٌ an inf. n. of 1 [q. v.]. (S, K.) See also the next preceding paragraph, in two places. ― -b2- Also [The increase of the earth; or] the fruits caused to come forth by God. (TA.) زَكِىٌّ i. q. ↓ زَاكٍ , (Akh, S,) which signifies Increasing [&c., as act part. n. of زَكَا, q. v.]: (Ham p. 722:) [and growing, or thriving]: applied in this sense to a boy. (Akh, S.) ― -b2- غُلَامًا زَكِيًّا in the Kur xix. 19 means [A boy] pure from sins: or growing, or increasing, in goodness and righteousness: (Bd:) or purified by nature: or such as shall in the future become purified. (TA.) And نَفْسًا زَكِيَّةً in the Kur xviii. 73 means [A soul, or person,] pure from sins: some read ↓ زَاكِيَةً ; but the former is more forcible: [or,] accord. to AA, ↓ the latter means that has never sinned: and the former, that has sinned and then been forgiven. (Bd.) [Or] رَجُلٌ زَكِىٌّ signifies A good, or righteous, man: and the pl. is أَزْكِيَآءُ. (Msb, K, * TA.) And also A man enjoying, or leading, a plentiful, and a pleasant or an easy, and a soft or delicate, life: pl. as above. (K, TA.) ― -b3- And أَرْضٌ زَكِيَّةٌ Good, fat land. (TA in art زكى.) زَكَوِىٌّ [generally meaning Of, or relating to, the poor-rate] is the rel. n. of زَكَاةٌ; like as حَصَوِىٌّ is that of حَصَاةٌ; because the rel. n. reduces the word to its original form: زَكَائِىٌّ is vulgar and wrong. (Msb.) زَاكٍ , and its fem. زَاكِيَةٌ: see زَكِىٌّ, in three places. أَزْكَى More, or most, profitable: (Bd in ii. 232:) or better, or best: (Jel ibid:) more, or most, pure: (Bd in xxiv. 28:) more, or most, lawful, (Bd and Jel in xviii. 18,) and good, or pleasant: or more, or most, abundant and cheap. (Bd ibid.) See also زَكَا as a noun. Credit: Lane Lexicon