Classical Arabic - English Dictionary

دَفِرَ, aor. ـَ {يَدْفَرُ}, (A, Mgh, Mṣb, Ḳ,) inf. n. دَفَرٌ (A, Mgh, Mṣb) and دَفْرٌ, (A,) or the latter is a simple subst.; (Mgh, Mṣb;) andادفر↓; (Mṣb;) It, (a thing, A, Mṣb,) and he, (a man, TA,) stank: (A, Mgh, Mṣb, Ḳ:) [see also دَفْرٌ, below:] but some say, of دَفِرٌ, that it is a possessive epithet, having no verb pertaining to it: and accord. to IAạr, ادفر↓ signifies he (a man) smell of his art. (TA.)

دَفِرَ, aor. ـَ {يَدْفَرُ}, (TḲ,) inf. n. دَفَرٌ, (Ḳ,) or دَفْرٌ, (M,) It (food, or wheat, M, Ḳ, and flesh-meat, M, TA) became maggotty. (M, Ḳ, TḲ.)

Also He (a man, TḲ) was, or became, base, abject, vile, or despicable. (IAạr,* Ḳ,* TḲ.)

دَفْرٌ (T, Ṣ, M, A, Mṣb, Ḳ) andدَفَرٌ↓, (IAạr, M, A, Ḳ,) the former a simple subst., and the latter an inf. n., (Mṣb,) or both inf. ns., (A,) andدَفْرَةٌ↓, (Mṣb,) Stink; stench: (IAạr, T, Ṣ, M, A, Mṣb, Ḳ:) never used to signify a sweet smell: (M:) accord. to Aboo-” Alee El-Ḳálee, دَفَرٌ↓ has the above-mentioned signification; but دَفْرٌ signifies pungency of odour, whether stinking or sweet: other authorities, however, assert, accord. to what is transmitted from them, that the word signifying intense pungency of odour, whether sweet or bad, is ذَفَرٌ, with ذ, and with two fet-ḥahs, whence مِسْكٌ أَذْفَرُ: IAạr says that ذَفَرٌ↓ signifies stink, or stench; and ذَفْرٌ, baseness, or vileness; but this is not known on any other authority. (M, L, TA.)

Hence the saying of ʼOmar, وَدَفْرَاهْ, meaning [Alas, what stench! i. e., † Alas, what an abominable thing! i. e.] وَانَتْنَاهْ: (AʼObeyd, T, Ṣ, M:) or it means Alas, what baseness, or vileness! (IAạr, T, M.)

Hence also the phrase, دَفْرًا لَهُ, meaning [May God make stench to cleave to him, or it! i. e., † Fy, or shame, upon him, or it! i. e.] نَتْنًا لَهُ: (Ṣ, Mgh:) andدَفْرًا دَفِرًا↓ لِمَا يَجِىْءُ بِهِ فُلَانٌ, (T,* Ṣ, M,) meaning [May foul stench cleave to that which such a one doth! i. e., † Foul shame upon it! i. e.] نَتْنًا; (Ṣ, M;) but in an intensive sense; (M;) said in declaring a man's case, or affair, to be bad, or abominable. (T, Ṣ.)

Hence, too, الدَّفْرُ, (TA,) and أُمُّ دَفْرٍ, (Ṣ, Ḳ,) † Calamity, or misfortune. (Ṣ, Ḳ, TA.)

And أُمُّ دَفْرٍ, (T, Ṣ, A, Ḳ,) written by Aboo-ʼAlee El-Ḳálee أُمُّ دَفَرٍ↓, but this is wrong, (R,) andأُمُّ دَفْرَةَ↓, (IAạr,) andدَفَارِ↓, and أُمُّ دَفَارِ, (M, Ḳ,) † The present world; (T, Ṣ, M, A, Ḳ;) because of its calamities, or misfortunes. (TA.)

دَفِرٌ (M, A, Mṣb, Ḳ) andأَدْفَرُ↓ (M, A, Ḳ) Stinking: (M, A, Mṣb, Ḳ:) fem. [of the former] دَفِرَةٌ (Ṣ, M, A, Ḳ) and [of the latter] دَفْرَآءُ↓. (M, A, Ḳ.)

لَحْمٌ دَفِرٌ Stinking and maggotty flesh-meat. (A.)

كَتِيبَةٌ دَفْرَآءُ↓ An army, or a collected portion thereof, or a troop of horse, having rusty armour or arms: (Ḳ:) or smelling of the rust of their armour or arms. (A.)

دَفَارِ (indecl., with kesr for its termination, TA) The female slave. (T, M, Ḳ.) Mostly used in vocative expressions. (TA.) One says to a female slave, (T, Ṣ, A, Mṣb,) reviling her, (Ṣ, Mṣb,) دَفَارِ, يَا meaning O thou stinking one! (T, Ṣ, A, Mgh, Mṣb:) alluding to her intrinsic foulness. (Mṣb.)

See also دَفْرٌ, last sentence.