LessonsDefining Majāz: Conditions, Indication, and Classification by ConventionQuiz

دَابَّةٌ
Dābbah: broadly a creature that moves on the earth; in an established general convention, often a four-footed animal.

Ordinary usage may narrow a broad lexical category to a more specific class. Once that restriction is conventional, “dābbah” for a four-footed creature is literally correct within that customary register.

The older broader lexical usage and the newer customary usage need not be classified identically in every context. The governing question is which convention makes sense of the occurrence.

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The broad conventional use of dābbah

Defining Majāz: Conditions, Indication, and Classification by Convention

دَابَّةٌ
Dābbah: broadly a creature that moves on the earth; in an established general convention, often a four-footed animal.

Ordinary usage may narrow a broad lexical category to a more specific class. Once that restriction is conventional, “dābbah” for a four-footed creature is literally correct within that customary register.

The older broader lexical usage and the newer customary usage need not be classified identically in every context. The governing question is which convention makes sense of the occurrence.