Classical Arabic zoosynonymy: a source of zoological knowledge among Arabs. The case of lion synonyms

This study aims to explore the synonyms of the lion in classical Arabic to highlight the zoological knowledge that pre-Islamic Arabs had about it. To achieve this, we relied on the list compiled by al-Labābīdī in his book معجم أسماء الأشياء (Muʿḫam asmāʾ al-ašyāʾ – Glossary of the Names of Things).  The 324 synonyms for the lion provide insight into the various ways Arabs perceived and understood this animal, with each term reflecting a specific trait or symbolic meaning and thus revealing important aspects of their zoological knowledge. The encyclopedic dictionary Lisān al-ʿArab, written in the 14th century by Ibn Manẓūr, was also essential for extracting, in detail, all the information related to each of these synonyms. The analysis of these synonyms allowed us to classify them into eight categories, reflecting various characteristics of the lion which are as follow: i) predatory and defensive behavior; ii) strength and boldness; iii) morphology; iv) gait and movement; v) coat color; vi) vocalizations; vii) name based on age and sex; viii) social status. By following the same approach, this study could be extended to other animal species, whether domestic or wild, which also have numerous synonyms recorded in medieval Arab encyclopedic works. Such an extension would provide a broader perspective on the zoological knowledge of the Arabs of pre-Islamic era.