kh-d-d

Description

The Arabic root خدد (kh-d-d) carries the core meaning of making a furrow, groove, or pit in the ground, as well as the natural lines or contours found on surfaces like cheeks. In the Quran, this root appears in reference to the people of the ditch (akhduud) who dug pits to burn believers, and in describing the cheeks (khadd) as a physical feature. The semantic connection between these usages lies in the concept of linear depressions or carved-out spaces, whether man-made trenches in the earth or the natural contours of the human face.