[1]
كَانَ
He or it was. A verb of the class
called incomplete, (نَاقِصٌ) because, with the
agent which it comprises, or to which it relates, it cannot constitute a complete proposition; i. e., non-attributive. The other verbs of
this class are, ظَلَّ أَضْحَى أَمْسَى أَصْبَحَ صَارَ,
مَا دَامَ مَاٱنْفَكَّ مَا فَتِئَ مَابَرِحَ مَا زَالَ بَاتَ,
and لَيْسَ. Each of these governs its noun, or
subject, in the nom. case, and its enunciative, or
predicate, in the acc. case; as, كَانَ زَيْدٌ قَائِمًا
Zeyd was standing. ―
2-b2- (The ن in يَكُنْ and the
like is often irregularly elided.) ―
2-b3- كَانَ, divested
of all signification of time. is often used as a
copula. (See De Sacy 's Gr. Ar. i. 196.) So too
is كَائِنٌ; for هٰذَا زَيْدٌ and هٰذَا كَائِنٌ زَيْدًا signify
the same. (Mughnee, voce أَنَّ.) ―
2-b4- كَانَ as a
complete, i. e., an attributive, verb, see حَصَلَ.
in three places.