Classical Arabic - English Dictionary

حِفْشٌ A receptacle for spindles: (Ṣ, Ḳ:) a سَفَط [or receptacle woven of palm-leaves, in which are stowed perfumes and similar things, of the apparatus of women]; (Ḳ; [in the CK, السًّقَطُ is erroneously put for السَّفَطُ;]) a سَفَط in which perfumes are kept: (TA:) a دُرْج, (Ḳ,) i. e. a small receptacle of the kind called سَفَط, in which a woman keeps her perfumes and apparatus, or implements; (TA in art. درج;) a woman's دُرْج: (Mgh:) pl. as below. (TA.)

‡ A small بَيْت [or tent]; (AʼObeyd, Ṣ, Mgh;) as being likened to a woman's دُرْج: (Mgh:) or a very small بَيْت [or tent], (Ḳ, TA,) having a low roof; so called because of its narrowness; and accord. to some, حَفْشٌ↓, andحَفَشٌ↓: (TA:) or a very small بيت of [goats'] hair, (Ḳ, TA,) of the بُيُوت [or tents] of the Arabs of the desert: so says Kh: pl. as below. (TA.) It is said in a trad., دَخَلَتْ حِفْشًا, meaning † She entered a small بيت [or tent]. (Mgh.) And in another trad., هَلَّا قَعَدَ فِى حِفْشِ أُمِّهِ, (Ṣ,) or هلَا جَلَسَ الخ, (Mgh,) i. e. † [Wherefore did he not sit] in the small بيت of his mother? (Ṣ, Mgh:) or, accord. to some, the meaning is, عِنْدَ حِفْشِ أُمِّهِ [i. e., by the receptacle for the spindles, &c., of his mother]: (Ṣ:) or, as some say, by the فَرْج of his mother; for (TA)

It also signifies † The فَرْج [pudendum muliebre]. (Ḳ.)

And Any vessels that are held in little account, (Lth, Ḳ, TA,) that are used as receptacles in the house, or tent, for perfumes and the like, (Lth, TA,) such as glass flasks, or bottles, &c.: (Lth, Ḳ, TA:) and an old and worn-out thing, (Ḳ, TA,) that is of no use: (TA:) and a large, old and worn-out, sack (Ḳ, TA) of [goats'] hair: (TA:) pl. (in all the senses of the word, TA) أَحْفَاشٌ (Ḳ, TA) and حَفَاشٌ: (TA:) or أَحْفَاشُ البَيْتِ means the furniture and utensils of the house or tent; and the paltry articles thereof, or such as are held in little account. (Aboo-Sinán, Ḳ.)

And أَحْفَاشُ الأَرْضِ means The [lizards called] ضِبَاب, and the hedgehogs, (Ḳ, TA,) and the jerboas, (TA,) of the earth: (Ḳ, TA:) not the same as أَحْنَاش: so says Aboo-Ziyád. (TA.)