Early transmitted interpretation and Arabic lexical evidence need not be set against one another. A report from an early authority can indicate the relevant sense; established linguistic usage can explain how that expression conveys it.
Yet a quotation is not conclusive if its attribution is doubtful, and a bare dictionary meaning is not sufficient if it clashes with the passage.
The practical method is to identify plausible lexical senses, then weigh them against reliable early interpretation and the immediate context. This gives both transmission and language their appropriate roles.