The Polysemy of "Adjr" in the Holy Qur'an Based upon Historical Semantics

"A-DJ-R" , one of the most ancient triconsonantal roots in the Semitic languages, is used 108 times in 99 Qur'anic verses. Paying attention to the variety of Qur'anic usages of the root "A -DJ -R", Muslim scholars have enumerated up to 6 different meanings for it. Based upon methodology of historical semantics, this study discovers the oldest meaning of the root "A -DJ -R" in the Semitic languages. The different semantic changes of this root, then, are investigated from the proto-Semitic language to the Qur'anic Arabic. This essay indicates that the word "Adjr" conveys three meanings in the Holy Qur'an: firstly, "wage" which is the oldest meaning of the root, and secondly, "reward", and finally, "bride-wealth". These three meanings are used respectively in 24, 70, and 5 Qur'anic verses. Moreover, this study answers an important question that why the Holy Qur'an used the word "Adjr" in reference to the concept of "bride-wealth".