Classical Arabic - English Dictionary

خَفَّ, aor. ـِ {يَخْفِفُ}, inf. n. خِفَّةٌ (JK, Ṣ, Mṣb, Ḳ, &c.) and خَفٌّ (Mṣb, Ḳ) and خَفَّةٌ and تَخَوُّفٌ, but this last belongs to art. خوف, (Ḳ,) contr. of ثَقُلَ [both properly and tropically]; (Mṣb;) properly, (TA,) It (a thing, Ṣ, Mṣb) was, or became, خَفِيف [i. e. light] (JK, Ṣ, Mṣb, Ḳ, TA) of weight, (JK,) in body, or material substance. (TA.) Hence the saying of ʼAṭà, in a trad., خِفُّوا عَلَى الأَرْضِ, meaning [Be ye, or bear ye, lightly upon the ground] in prostration: (AʼObeyd, TA:) or, as some relate it, خَفِّفُوا↓: i. e. prostrate yourselves [lightly upon the ground;] not heavily, so as to make marks, or impressions, upon your foreheads: and in another trad. it is said, إِذَا سَجَدْتَ فَتَخَافَّ↓ When thou prostratest thyself, put thy forehead upon the ground lightly: but AʼObeyd says that some say فَتُجَافِ, [i. e. فَتُجَافِ عَضُدَيْكَ عَنْ جَنْبَيْكَ,] with ج. (TA [See 3 in art. جفو.]) [Hence also,] خَفَّ المِيزَانُ The balance had one of its two scales light, so that it rose. (TA.)

[Used tropically, it means † It, or he, was, or became, light in estimation, lightly esteemed, or of little account.]

And ‡ He was, or became, خَفِيف [i. e. light as meaning active, agile,, &c.,] in work: (TA:) he was, or became, brisk, lively, sprightly, active, agile, prompt, and quick; syn. نَشِطَ. (Mṣb and TA in art. نشط.) You say, خَفَّ فِى عَمَلِهِ وَخِدْمَتِهِ ‡ He was, or became, [brisk,, &c., or] obedient and submissive, in his work and his service: (TA:) and خَفَّ لَهُ فِى الخِدْمَةِ ‡ [He was, or became, brisk,, &c., to him in service], aor. يَخِفُّ, inf. n. خِفَّةٌ: (Ṣ:) and in like manner, خَفَّ لِفُلَانٍ ‡ He was, or became, [promptly] obedient and submissive, to such a one. (TA.) [Hence,] خَفَفْتُ إِلَى فُلَانٍ † [I was, or became, brisk, lively, or sprightly, in behaviour to such a one]. (Ṣ in art. هش.) And خَفَّتِ الأُنْثَى لِلْفَحْلِ ‡ The female was, or became, submissive to the male. (A, TA.) And خَفَّتِ الأُتُنُ لِعَيْرِهَا ‡ The she-asses obeyed their he-ass. (Ḳ, TA.) And خُفَّ إِلَى العَدُوِّ, inf. n. خُفُوفٌ, † He hastened to the enemy. (Mṣb.) And خَفَّ القَوْمُ عَنْ وَطَنِهِمْ, (Ḳ,* TA,) inf. n. خُفُوفٌ, (TA,) ‡ The people, or party, removed, or departed, or journeyed, quickly from their home: or, as some say, simply removed, or departed, or journeyed, from it. (TA.)

‡ He was, or became, خَفِيف [or light] in intellect, or understanding: (TA:) [and in conduct, or behaviour: generally meaning] † he was, or became, light, inconstant, unsteady, irresolute, or fickle; or light of intellect; lightwitted; syn. طَاشَ: (Mṣb:) the inf. n. of the verb in this sense is خِفَّةٌ. (Mṣb and Ḳ, &c. in art. طيش, and TA in the present art.) [But sometimes, when relating to the intellect, or understanding, it means, † He was, or became, quick, acute, or sharp; and clever, or ingenious: see خَفِيفٌ.] And you say of him whose hearing is good, فِى أُذُنِهِ خِفَّةٌ ‡ [In his ear is quickness, acuteness, or sharpness, of hearing]. (TA in art. ثقل.)

[† He was, or became, flurried, agitated, or excited, by reason of fear, and by anger, or the like: see 10.]

[† He was, or became, lighthearted, or cheerful; one whose company, or converse, was acceptable and cheering.] You say, خَفَّ فُلَانٌ عَلَى المَلِكِ † Such a one was, or became, acceptable and cheering to the king. (TA.)

[† It (an action, or an affair, and a case, or the like,) was, or became, light, or easy: and it become alleviated.] You say, خَفَّتْ عَلَيْهِ الحَرَكَةُ † [Motion, or moving, was, or became, easy to him]; opposed to ثَقُلَتْ. (TA.) And خَفَّتْ حَالُهُ: see 4.

[† It (a word) was light, or easy, of utterance: and in like manner said of a sound, † it was, or became, light to the ear; or slight.]

[† It (food) was, or became, light to the stomach; easy of digestion.]

[Said of the hair of the head, and of the beard, † It was, or became, light, thin, or scanty.]

Said of a people, or company of men, (قَوْمٌ,) inf. n. خُفُوفٌ, it means قَلُّوا وَقَدْ خَفَّتْ زَحْمَتُهُمْ [i. e. † They became few in number, their crowding having diminished]. (Ṣ.)

Said of rain, [&c.,] † It diminished; decreased; or was, or became, [light, or] deficient. (TA.)

[Said of a blow, a disease, an affection of the mind, &c., It was, or became, light, slight, or inconsiderable.]

خَفَّتْ مَنَازِلُهُمْ مِنْهُمْ وَمَضَوْا † [means Their abodes became clear of them, and they went away]. (Ḳ * and TA in art. شول.)

خفّفهُ He made it, or rendered it, خَفِيف [i. e. light, both properly and tropically: the tropical significations are shown by the preceding paragraph, and by explanations of خَفِيفٌ; and some by what here follows]: (Mṣb:) تَخْفِيفٌ is the contr. of تَثْقِيلٌ. (Ṣ, Ḳ.)

Hence, in the Ḳur [ii. 174], ذٰلِكَ تَخْفِيفٌ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ † [That is an alleviation from your Lord]. (TA.) Hence also, in a trad. [respecting the estimates to be made by the collectors of the poor-rate], خَفِّفُوا الخَرْصَ † [Make ye the conjectural computation of the quantity of the fruit upon palm-trees, &c. light to the owners, or moderate;] go not to the utmost length in the خرص. (TA.) [And خفّف عَنْهُ † He made light, or alleviated, his burden, suffering, distress, uneasiness, or the like, by removing from him somewhat thereof; he alleviated him; he relieved him: see Ḳur iv. 32 and viii. 67, &c.] And خَفِّفُوا عَلَى الأَرْضِ: see 1; second sentence. [And خفّف فِى عَمَلِهِ † He relaxed, or remitted, in his work.]

[تَخْفِيفٌ also signifies † The making a word light, or easy, of utterance, by the suppression of hemzeh, or by its conversion into ا or ى or تَثْقِيلٌ; opposed to تَحْقِيقٌ and تَحْقِيقٌ: and by making a double consonant single; opposed to تَثْقِيلٌ and تَشْدِيدٌ: and by making a movent consonant quiescent; opposed to تَثْقِيلٌ and تَحْرِيكٌ: each of these changes in a word is said to be لِلتَّخْفِيفِ for the purpose of alleviating the utterance. Also, in like manner, † The making a sound light to the ear, or slight; opposed to تَثْقِيلٌ. And † The suppressing of hemzeh; opposed to تَحْقِيقٌ.]

احفّ He made an arrow light, by scraping or paring it. (L in art. حوذ.)

See also 10.

He was, or became, unburdened, or unencumbered, or without anything that burdened him heavily: (Mṣb:) or he was, or became, little burdened or encumbered, in journeying, (JK, TA,) or in his residence at home. (TA.)

And i. q.خَفَّتْ↓ حَالُهُ [i. e. ‡ His state, or condition, was, or became, light, little encumbered, easy, or alleviated: or it was, or became, that of one having a small family to maintain: or that of having little property: or that of having little property and a small family to maintain]: (JK, Ṣ, Ḳ, TA: [see حَالٌ:]) and, as some add, رَقَّتْ [i. e., † it was, or became, narrow in its circumstances, or evil: it is used in contr. senses: though رَقَّتْ seems to be here intended as explanatory of خَفَّتْ]. (TA.)

اخفّ القَوْمُ † The people's beasts were, or became, خِفَاف [i. e. light as meaning active, agile, or brisk]: (AZ, Ṣ:) or the people had such beasts. (Ḳ.)

تخفّف [He lightened his clothing; or clad himself lightly: but for this I know no other authority than modern usage].

تخفّف مِنْهُ: see 10.

Also He put on, or wore, a خُفّ [i. e. boot], or خِفَاف [i. e. boots]: (Ḳ, accord. to different copies:) or تخفّف بِالخُفِّ, (JK,) or تخفّف الخُفَّ, (TA,) he put on, or wore, the خُفّ (JK, TA) on the foot. (TA.)

تخافّ He pressed, or bore, lightly [upon a thing]; contr. of تثاقل. (Ḳ,* TA.) Hence the saying, in a trad., إِذَا سَجَدْتَ فَتَخَافَّ explained above: see 1, second sentence. (TA.)

استخفّهُ contr. of اِسْتَثْقَلَهُ; (Ṣ, Ḳ, TA;) He deemed it, or him, خَفِيف [i. e. light, properly and tropically]. (TA.) He found it light, or easy, to carry, (Bḍ in xvi. 82, and TA,) and to remove. (Bḍ ibid.)

استخفّ بِهِ † He held him, or it, (namely, a man's right, or due, or just claim, Mṣb, TA,) in light, or little, estimation or account, or in contempt; he contemned, or despised, him, or it. (Ṣ, Mṣb, TA.)

استخفّ الهَمْزَةَ † [He deemed the hemzeh light, or easy, of utterance]. (TA.)

استخفّهُ also signifies † He demanded, or desired, his خِفَّة [i. e. briskness, or promptness]; as alsoتَخَفَّفَ↓ مِنْهُ: (TA:) and † it (a thing) incited him, or excited him, to briskness, liveliness, or sprightliness; syn. اِسْتَهَشَّهُ; (JK and Ḳ and TA in art. هش;) and أَطْرَبَهُ: (Ḥar p. 139:) and † he incited him, or excited him, to lightness, levity, or unsteadiness, so as to induce him to follow him in his error: (TA:) [and simply] ‡ he excited him to lightness, levity, or unsteadiness; (Ksh and Bḍ and Jel in the Ḳur xxx. last verse;) flurried him, or disquieted him: (Ksh and Bḍ ibid.:) and ‡ it flurried him, so that he became unsteady; said of impatience; and of a lively emotion of the heart or mind; (TA;) and of fear; (MA;) and of anger: (T in art. حمل:) andاخفّهُ↓ † he angered him, (TA,) and deprived him of his forbearance, moderation, patience, staidness, or calmness, and incited him, or excited him, to levity, or unsteadiness. (Ḳ,* TA.) فَٱسْتَخَفَّ قَوْمَهُ, in the Ḳur xliii. 54, means † And he demanded, or desired, of his people, briskness, or promptness, in obeying him: or فاستخفّ أَحْلَامَهُمْ [and he held in light estimation their qualities of forbearance, moderation, patience, or staidness]: (Bḍ:) or he incited, or excited, his people to be promptly obedient and submissive (أَنْ يَخِفُّوا) to him and to that which he desired of them; like اِسْتَفَزَّ: (Ksh:) or he incited, or excited, his people to levity, or unsteadiness, (الخِفَّة,) and ignorance, foolishness, or wrong conduct. (Mṣb.) And you say, استخفّ فُلَانًا عَنْ رَأْيِهِ † He incited, or excited, such a one to ignorance, foolishness, or wrong conduct, and levity, or unsteadiness, so as to make him swerve from his right sentiment, opinion, or judgment; (Az, Ḳ, TA;) as also استفزّهُ عن رأيه. (Az, TA.)

خُفٌّ A boot; (KL, PṢ, &c.;) a certain thing that is worn (JK, Ṣ, Mṣb, Ḳ, TA) upon the foot: (TA:) pl. خِفَافٌ (Ṣ, L, Mṣb, Ḳ) and أَخْفَافٌ [which is a pl. of pauc.]. (L, TA.) Hence, رَجَعَ بِخُفَّىْ حُنَيْنٍ [He returned with the two boots of Honeyn]; a saying which originated thus: (AʼObeyd, TA:) an Arab of the desert bargained with Honeyn the إِسْكَاف [or maker of shoes and boots], (Ḳ,) who was of the people of El-Heereh, (TA,) for a pair of boots, until he angered him, (Ḳ,) and Honeyn desired to anger the Arab: (TA:) so when the Arab of the desert departed, Honeyn took one of his two boots and threw it down in the way, and then he threw down the other in another place; and when the Arab passed by one of them, he said, “How like is this to the boot of Honeyn! and if the other were with it, I would take it:” and he went on: and when he came to the other, he repented of having left the former: and Honeyn had lain in wait for him: therefore when the Arab went away in search of the former [boot], Honeyn betook himself to the camel that he rode, and what was upon it, and went away therewith; and the Arab came, having with him nothing but a pair of boots; and it was said, (Ḳ,) i. e. his people said to him, (TA,) “What hast thou brought from thy journey?” and he answered, جِئْتُكُمْ بِخُفَّىْ حُنَيْنٍ [“I have brought you the two boots of Honeyn”]: and this became a prov., applied on the occasion of one's despairing of an object of want, and returning disappointed: (Ḳ:) thus the case is related by AʼObeyd, and by most others after him. (TA.) Accord. to ISk, Honeyn was a strong man, who asserted his relationship to Asad Ibn-Háshim Ibn-ʼAbd-Menáf, and came to ʼAbd-El-Muttalib, wearing a pair of red boots, [formerly distinctive of kings and men of high rank,] and said, “O my paternal uncle, I am the son of Asad the son of Háshim the son of ʼAbd-Menáf:” but ʼAbd-El-Muttalib said, “No, by the garments of my father Háshim, I know not in thee the natural qualities of Háshim; therefore return thou:” so he returned: and it was said, رَجَعَ حُنَيْنٌ بِخُفَّيْهِ [Honeyn returned with his pair of boots]. (O, Ḳ, &c.) As to the saying of the rájiz,

* يَحْمِلُ فِى سَحْقٍ مِنَ الخِفَافِ *

* تَوَادِيًا سُوِّينَ مِنْ خِلَافِ *

he means thereby [He carries, in] a pastor's bag (كِنْف) made of the leg of a خُفّ [or boot, wooden implements to be tied upon the dugs of she-camels, made of different trees]. (Ṣ. See خِلَافٌ.)

The foot (KL, PṢ) of the camel; (Ṣ, Mṣb, KL, PṢ;) the whole (مَجْمَع) of the فِرْسِن of the camel; (JK, Ḳ, TA;) of the male and of the female; corresponding to the حَافِر [or hoof] of the horse: (TA:) and sometimes of the ostrich, (Ḳ,) because resembling that of the camel: (TA:) but of no other than these two: (Ḳ:) of the masc. gender; whereas فِرْسِنٌ [its syn.] is fem.: (TA:) pl. أَخْفَافٌ. (Ṣ, Mṣb, Ḳ.)

[And hence, by a synecdoche, for ذَوَاتُ خُفٍّ,] ‡ Camels; coupled with حَافِرٌ as meaning horses, [and sometimes asses or mules], (Mgh, TA,*) and ظِلْفٌ [as meaning sheep or goats or other cloven-hoofed beasts]. (TA.) You say, مَالَهُ خُفٌّ وَلَاحَافِرٌ وَلَا ظِلْفٌ ‡ [meaning He possesses not camels, nor horses or asses or mules, nor sheep or goats or other cloven-hoofed beasts]. (TA.) You say also, جَآءَتِ الإِبِلُ عَلَىخُفٍّ وَاحِدٍ, meaning ‡ The camels came following one another, the head of each [except the first] being at the tail of the next [before it], whether tied together in a file or not. (L.)

An aged camel: (Ḳ:) [and a weak camel:] or, as some say, a bulky camel: pl. أَخْفَافٌ. (TA.) It is said in a trad., يُحْمَى مِنَ الأَراَكِ مَا لَمْ تَنَلْهُ أَخْفَافُ الإِبِلِ [Of the trees called اراك, what the aged and weak of camels cannot reach may be prohibited]: i. e. what is near, thereof, to the place of pasturage is not to be prohibited, but is to be left for the aged and weak camels, that cannot go far in search of pasture: (Aṣ, O, Mṣb:) or what camels cannot reach (Mṣb, TA) by means of their اخفاف, (Mṣb,) by walking thereto, (TA,) may be prohibited: (Mṣb, TA:) or it means, what camels cannot reach with their heads may be prohibited [to be shaken or beaten off for them]. (Mgh.)

‡ The sole, or part that touches the ground, of the foot of a man. (M, Ḳ, TA.)

‡ A tract of ground (Ṣ, A, O, L) more rugged, (Ṣ, O, L,) or longer, (A,) than such as is termed نَعْلٌ: (Ṣ, A, O, L:) or a rugged piece of ground. (Ḳ.)

خِفٌّ: see خَفِيفٌ, in four places.

Also A company consisting of few persons. (Ṣ, Ḳ.) You say, خَرَجَ فُلَانٌ فِى خِفٍّ مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ Such a one went forth among a company consisting of few persons of his companions. (Ṣ.)

خِفَّةٌ an inf. n. of 1 [in almost all of its senses, proper and tropical; and much used as a simple subst., signifying Lightness: † levity:, &c.]. (JK, Ṣ, Mṣb, Ḳ, &c.)

خَفِيفٌ a part. n. of 1 [in all its senses, proper and tropical, signifying Light:, &c.]: (JK, Ṣ,* Mṣb, Ḳ,* TA:) as alsoخِفٌّ↓ [in the proper sense] (JK,* Ṣ,* Mṣb, Ḳ,* TA) andخُفَافٌ↓: (Ṣ,* Ḳ,* TA:) the first is applied to a thing; as also↓ the second, (Mṣb,) which signifies anything light to carry, (TA,) [as also the first;] and light in weight but heavy in price, not incommoding the bearer: (Ḥar p. 139:) and the first and↓ third are also applied to a man: (Ṣ, TA:) but, as some say, the first means [light] in body [as well as in tropical senses]; and↓ the third, † [light] in [the sense of possessing] quickness or acuteness or sharpness, and cleverness or ingeniousness: and [in like manner] خَفِيفُ القَلْبِ signifies † quick, acute, or sharp, in intellect; and خَفِيفُ الرُّوحِ, the same; or clever, or ingenious: the pl. of the first is خِفَافٌ and أَخْفَافٌ and أَخِفَّآءُ; the first of which three pls. is also pl. ofخُفَافٌ↓: and hence, in the Ḳur [ix. 41], اِنْفِرُوا خِفَافًا وَثِقَالًا [explained in art. ثقل]. (TA.) خِفٌّ↓ is also applied to a boy, (Ṣ, TA,) meaning Light to carry; (TA;) as in the saying of Imra-el-Ḳeys,

* يَزِلُّ الغُلَامُ الخِفُّ عَنْ صَهَوَاتِهِ *

[The boy that is light to carry slips from the parts of his (the horse's) back whereon the rider sits]: (Ṣ: so in my copies:) or يُزِلُّ الغُلَامَ الخِفَّ [he makes the boy that is light to carry to slip]: and [it is said that] it means also † the hardy, strong, or sturdy, boy. (TA.) And خَفِيفٌ signifies also Little burdened or encumbered in journeying, or in residence at home; likeخِفٌّ↓ andمُخِفٌّ↓. (TA.) [Hence,] رَجُلٌ خَفِيفُ ذَاتِ اليَدِ † A poor man. (TA.)

[† Brisk, lively, sprightly, active, agile, prompt, and quick. Hence,] خَفِيفٌ إِلَى الخَيْرِ [† Prompt, or quick, to do good]. (TA in art. هش.)

[† Light, or easy, of utterance: and † light to the ear; light in sound. Hence,] النُّونُ الخَفِيفَةُ [† The lightsounding ن; as in يَفْعَلَنْ, &c.]; contr. of الثَّقِيلَةُ: and also applied to the tenween. (TA.)

[† Light, thin, or scanty; applied to the hair of the head, &c. Hence,] هُوَ خَفِيفُ العَارِضَيْنِ [† He is light, thin, or scanty,] in the hair of the two sides of the cheeks, (Ṣ and O and Mṣb in art. عرض,) and of the beard. (O in that art.)

الخَفِيفُ A certain kind of metre of verse; [namely, the eleventh;] the measure of which consists of فَاعِلَاتُنْ مُسْتَفْعِلُنْ فَاعِلَاتُنْ [in each hemistich]. (Ḳ [in which is added “six times,” a mistake for “six feet”].)

خَفَّافُ [A maker, or seller, of boots (خِفَافٌ, pl. of خُفٌّ).] (TA.)

[العَوْرَةُ المُخَفَّفَةُ † The part, or parts, of the person which it is improper, but not grossly indecent, to expose: so in the law-books: see art. عور.]