Classical Arabic - English Dictionary

دَمِثَ, (Ṣ, M, A, &c.,) aor. ـَ {يَدْمَثُ}, (Ṣ, A, Mṣb, Ḳ,) inf. n. دَمَثٌ, (Ṣ, M, Mgh, Mṣb,) sometimes contracted into دَمَثٌ, (Mṣb,) It (a place, A, Mgh, Mṣb, Ḳ, or other thing, A, Ḳ) was, or became, soft and even: (M, A, Mgh, Mṣb, Ḳ:) or it (a place) was, or became, soft and sandy. (Ṣ.)

And دمث, (Mṣb,) [i. e. دَمُثَ, or دَمِثَ as above,] inf. n. دَمَاثَةٌ (Ṣ, M, A, Mgh, Mṣb, Ḳ) and دُمُوثَةٌ (M, TA) and دَمَثٌ, (A,) or دَمْثٌ, (Mgh,) ‡ He (a man) was, or became, easy in nature, or disposition. (Ṣ, M, A, Mgh, Mṣb, Ḳ.)

دمّثهُ, (T, M, A, Mṣb,) inf. n. تَدْمِيثٌ, (Ṣ, Ḳ,) He made it even, (T, A,) or soft, (Ṣ, Ḳ,) or soft and even; (Mṣb;) namely, a place, (T, A, Mṣb,) or a bed, or place on which to lie: (Ṣ:) and (A) he macerated it, namely, a thing, and mashed it, (M, A,) with his hand, (A,) in order that it might become soft. (M, A.) [Hence,]

* دَمِّثْ لِجَنْبِكَ قَبْلَ اللَّيْلِ مُضْطَجَعَا *

(T,) or قَبْلَ النَّوْمِ, (A,) [lit. Make soft and even for thy side a bed, or place on which to lie, before night, or before sleeping;] a prov., meaning ‡ prepare for an event before its happening. (T,* A.) [Hence also,] مَنْ كَذَبَ عَلَىَّ فَإِنَّمَا يُدَمِّثُ مَجْلِسَهُ مِنَ النَّارِ, i. e. [Whoso lieth against me, verily] he will make even, meaning will prepare, his sitting-place in the fire [of Hell]; a saying of Moḥammad. (Mgh.)

[And hence,] دمّث الحَدِيثَ, (T, A,) inf. n. as above, (Ḳ,) ‡ He mentioned (T, A, Ḳ) the beginning of (T, A) the tradition, or story. (T, A, Ḳ.) You say, دَمِّثْ لِى ذٰلِكَ الحَدِيثَ حَتَّى أَطْعُنَ فِى خَوْضِهِ ‡ Mention thou to me the beginning of that tradition, or story, in order that I may know the manner thereof (T, A) and how I should enter upon it [so that I may push on in it]. (A.)

مَا كَانَ أَدْمَثَ فُلَانًا وَأَلْيَنَهُ ‡ How easy in nature, or disposition, was such a one! [and how gentle was he!]. (Ṣ, TA.)

دَمِثٌ Even, or soft; applied to a valley, and to anything: (T:) or a place soft and even; (Mgh, TA;) as alsoدَمِيثٌ↓, (A,) andدَمْثٌ↓, orدَمَثٌ↓; the last also explained as a subst., meaning an even, or a soft, tract of land; app. an inf. n. used as a subst.: (Mgh:) or دَمِثٌ [in one copy of the Ṣ erroneously written دِمِثٌ, and in another دِمْثٌ,] signifies a soft and sandy place; and its pl. is دِمَاثٌ: (Ṣ:) or a place soft to the tread; as alsoدَمَثٌ↓: and so this last applied to a tract of sand (رَمْلَةٌ); as though it were an inf. n. used as an اِسْم [here meaning an epithet; wherefore it is used alike as masc. and fem. and sing. and dual and pl.]: and [for this reason] دَمَثٌ↓ signifies also plain, or soft, tracts of land;pl. [of pauc.] أَدْمَاثٌ and [of mult.] دِمَاثٌ: (M:) or دِمَاثٌ has this last meaning; and its sing. is دَمِثَةٌ↓ [with ة added to transfer the word from the category of epithets to that of substantives]; and دِمَاث consist of sands and of what are not sands: دَمَائِثُ likewise is applied to what is [or are] even and soft; and its sing. is دَمِثَةٌ↓ [like as خَرِبَةٌ is sing. of خَرَائِبُ]: (T: [but for دَمِثَةٌ, in this last instance, I findدَمِيثَةٌ↓: if this be right, the pl. is agreeable with analogy; but if دَمِثَةٌ be the sing., the pl. is anomalous:]) and دَمِثٌ is applied to sand, as meaning not cohering. (TA.) It is said in a trad., مَالَ إِلَى دَمِثٍ فَبَالَ فِيهِ, (Mgh,) orدَمْثٍ↓, (A, Mgh,) accord. to different readings, i. e. [He turned to] a soft and even place [and made water upon it]. (Mgh.) And you say,نَزَلْنَا بِأَرْضٍ مَيْثَآءَ دَمْثَآءَ↓ [We alighted, or alighted and abode, in a tract of land even, or soft, or soft and even]. (A.)

Hence, (T,) ‡ A man easy in nature, or disposition, (T, M, TA,) and generous; (T;) as alsoدَمِيثٌ↓: (TA:) and in the same sense دَمِيثَةٌ↓ is applied to a woman; (T;) or دَمِثَةٌ; (TA;) she being likened to land so termed, because such is the best, or most productive, of land. (T, TA.) And دَمِثُ الأَخْلَاقِ ‡ A man easy in natural dispositions. (A.)

أُدْمُوثٌ The place of the مَلَّة [or hot ashes] (Ṣ, L, Ḳ) when bread has been baked there. (Ṣ, L.)