b-h-r

Description

The Arabic root بحر (b-h-r) primarily denotes large bodies of water, particularly seas and oceans, appearing 42 times in the Quran to describe both literal maritime contexts and metaphorical concepts. The root conveys meanings of vastness, depth, and abundance, used in discussions of God's creative power over waters, maritime travel as divine blessing, and the meeting of fresh and salt waters as signs of God's design. A derivative like "Bahirah" refers to a pre-Islamic practice involving marked she-camels, demonstrating the root's extended meaning of "splitting" or "slitting" related to the concept of opening or cutting through.