Classical Arabic - English Dictionary

دَنِفَ, (Ṣ, M, Mgh, Mṣb, Ḳ,) aor. ـَ {يَدْنَفُ}, (Mṣb, Ḳ,) inf. n. دَنَفٌ; (M, Mṣb;) andادنف↓; (Ṣ, M, Mgh, Mṣb, Ḳ;) or, accord. to Sb, one does not say دَنِفَ, though they sometimes said دَنِفٌ, for he regarded this as a possessive epithet; (M;) said of a sick man, (Ṣ, Mgh, Ḳ,) He had a constant, or chronic, disease: (Mṣb: [see دَنَفٌ, below:]) or he was, or became, heavy, (Ṣ, Mgh, Ḳ, TA,) by reason of disease, (Mgh, TA,) and near to death, (Mgh,) or at the point of death: (TA:) or he became emaciated by disease so as to be at the point of death. (M.)

And [hence,] دَنِفَتِ الشَّمْسُ, andادنفت↓, ‡ The sun was near to setting, and became yellow. (Ṣ, Ḳ, TA.)

And دَنِفَ الأَمْرُ ‡ The thing, or event, was, or became, near (Ḳ, TA) to passing. (TA.)

ادنف: see 1, in two places.

ادنفهُ, said of a disease, (Ṣ, Mgh, Mṣb, Ḳ,) It rendered him constantly, or chronically, ill; or clave to him constantly: (Mṣb:) or it rendered him heavy [so that he was near to death, or at the point of death: see 1]: (Ṣ, Mgh, Ḳ:) or, said of God, He caused him to become emaciated by disease so as to be at the point of death. (M.) Thus the verb is trans. as well as intrans. (Ṣ, Mṣb.)

And أَدْنَفْتُ الأَمْرَ ‡ I caused the thing, or event, to be near, or brought it near, (Ḳ, TA,) to passing. (TA.)

دَنَفٌ A constant, or chronic, disease; (Ṣ, M, Ḳ;) such as infects, or pervades, the person or the inside: or, as some say, any disease, whatever it be. (M.)

Also, (Ṣ, M, Ḳ,) andدَنِفٌ↓, (Ṣ, M, Mṣb, Ḳ,) the latter held by Sb to be a possessive epithet, as he disallowed the verb دَنِفَ, (M,) A man having a constant, or chronic, disease; (Ṣ, M, Mṣb, Ḳ;) such as infects, or pervades, his person or his inside: or, accord. to some, having any disease: or emaciated by disease so as to be at the point of death: andمُدْنَفٌ↓ andمُدْنِفٌ↓ signify the same: (M:) or these two signify rendered heavy by disease [so as to be near to death, or at the point of death: see 1]: (Ṣ, Mgh, Ḳ:) [and Freytag adds دَانِفٌ↓, explained as meaning “interitui obnoxius,” as from the Ḥam; in which I only find (p. 624) authority for دَنِفٌ, signifying being at the point of death or destruction:] دَنَفٌ is used alike as masc. (Fr, T, Ṣ, M, Ḳ) and fem. (Ṣ, M, Ḳ) and sing. (Fr, T, Ṣ, M, Ḳ) and dual (Ṣ, M) and pl., (Fr, T, Ṣ, M, Ḳ,) as though it were an inf. n. used as an epithet: (M:) but if you say دَنِفٌ↓, you vary it for the fem. and dual and pl., (T,* Ṣ, M, Ḳ,) saying اِمْرَأَةٌ دَنِفَةٌ, (Ṣ, M,), &c., (Ṣ,) i. e., saying also رَجُلَانِ دَنِفَانِ, (TA,) and قَوْمٌ أَدْنَافٌ, (M,) or رِجَالٌ أَدْنَافٌ: (TA:) and sometimes دَنَفٌ has a dual form and a pl.; (Ḳ;) [i. e.] one may say أَخَوَاكَ دَنَفَانِ and إِخْوَتُكَ أَدْنَافُ. (Fr, T.)

Applied to the sun, it means ‡ Near to setting, (M, TA,) and (TA) becoming yellow. (T, TA.) So in the saying (of El-ʼAjjáj, T, TA),

* وَالشَّمْسُ قَدْ كَادَتْ تَكُونُ دَنَفَا *

‡ [And the sun had almost become near to setting, and to turning yellow]. (T, M, TA.) [See Q. 2 in art. زحلف.]