Idiomatic Expressions in Al-Meqnaz Al-Qabeer A study in collection, arrangement & definition

Abstract

This research explores the status of idiomatic expressions in Arabic dictionaries, taking “Al-Meqnaz Al-Qabeer” as a model. It aims to contribute to developing a methodology for collecting, arranging, and defining these expressions. It follows the descriptive approach that is based on analysis and reliance on examples and evidence to derive facts and conclusions. The study reached several key findings, the most important of which are as follows: Idiomatic expressions were gathered from a variety of sources—religious, lexical, literary, ancient and modern, written and audio—and organized under sub-entries following the main entries. These expressions were symbolically marked, and then repeated again at the end of the field under “General Contextual Expressions.”; their repetition in sub-entries is made opposite the words also without reference, reflecting disorder.

Regarding definition, the idiomatic expressions are sometimes defined alongside the corresponding words and at other times left undefined, and the definition differs in its formal and semantic details. However, for expressions listed at the end of the section, the section itself generally serves as an overall indicator of their meaning, the field becomes indicative generally indicative generally.