Classical Arabic - English Dictionary

زَحَفَ, aor. ـَ {يَزْحَفُ}, inf. n. زَحْفٌ (Ṣ, Mgh, Mṣb, Ḳ) and زُحُوفٌ (Mṣb, Ḳ) and زَحَفَانٌ, (Ḳ,) He, or it, (an army, Mgh, Mṣb,* or a company of men, Mṣb) walked, marched, or went on foot, إِلَيْهِ [to him, or it]; (Ṣ, Ḳ;) and [generally] did so by little and little; (accord. to an explanation of زَحْفٌ in the TA;) crept, or crawled, along; or went, or walked, leisurely, or gently: (Mgh:) andتزحّف إِلَيْهِ↓, (Ṣ, Ḳ,) as alsoازدحف↓, (Ḳ,) i. q. تمشّى, (Ṣ, Ḳ,) i. e. he walked [with slow steps, or] heavily, with an effort, to him, or it: (TḲ:) and مِشْيَةُ زَحَفَانٍ means a gait in which is a heaviness of motion. (TA.) One says of a child, before he walks, (Ṣ, Mṣb, Ḳ,) or before he stands, (T, TA,) يَزْحَفُ [He drags himself along] (Ṣ, Mṣb, Ḳ) عَلَى الأَرْضِ [upon the ground], or عَلَى ٱسْتِهِ [upon his posteriors]: (TA:) or زَحَفَ alone, said of a child, he went along slowly, by little and little, upon his posteriors: (Bḍ in viii. 15:) and to the زَحْف of children is likened the marching of two bodies of men going to meet each other for fight, when each of them marches gently, or leisurely, towards the other, before they draw near together to smite each other: and one says likewise of a child, before he walks, يَتَزَحَّفُ↓ عَلَى الأَرْضِ, or, as in the T, عَلَى بَطْنِهِ, i. e. he drags himself along [upon the ground, or upon his belly]. (TA.)

زَحَفَ الدَّبَا [The young locusts not yet winged] went on, or forwards: (Ṣ, O, Ḳ:) مَشَى in this explanation in the Ḳ should be مَضَى, as in the Ṣ and A. (TA.)

زَحَفَ said of an arrow, † It fell short of the butt, and then slid along to it. (Ṣ,* Mṣb.)

Also, said of a camel, (Ṣ, Mgh, Mṣb, Ḳ,) aor. ـَ {يَزْحَفُ}, inf. n. زَحْفٌ and زُحُوفٌ, and زَحَفَانٌ, (TA,) He became fatigued, and dragged his foot, or the extremity of his foot; (Ṣ, Mgh, Mṣb, Ḳ;) as alsoأَزْحَفُ↓: (Ṣ, Mgh, Mṣb:) or this latter signifies he (a camel) became fatigued, (Ḳ, TA,) and stood still with his master: andأَزْحَفَتْ↓ رَاحِلَتُهُ مِنَ الإِعْيَآءِ His saddle-camel stood still from fatigue: or, accord. to El-Khaṭṭábee, correctly, أُزْحِفَتْ عَلَيْهِ: (TA:) or this is a mistake, occurring in the Fáïk; and it is correctly with fet-ḥ: (Mgh:) and accord. to the T, زَحَفَ signifies he (a camel) became fatigued, so that he stood still with his master: (TA:) or, as some say, زَحَفَ said of one walking, or marching, [i. e., of a man and of a beast,] (Mṣb, TA,) accord. to AZ, whether fat or lean, (Mṣb,) aor. ـَ {يَزْحَفُ}, inf. n. زَحْفٌ and زَحَفَانٌ, or, as AZ says, زَحْفٌ and زُحُوفٌ, (TA,) signifies, (Mṣb,) or signifies also, (TA,) he became fatigued, (Mṣb, TA,) in walking, or marching. (TA.)

And زَحَفَ الشَّجَرُ ‡ The trees became in a state of gentle motion, by the influence of the wind. (TA.)

زَحَفَ الشَّىْءَ, inf. n. زَحْفٌ, He dragged the thing along gently. (TA.)

زحّف البَيْتَ بِالزَّحَّافَةِ [He swept the house, or chamber, with the زحّافة, q. v.]. (TA.)

زَاحَفُونَا, inf. n. مُزَاحَفَةٌ, They fought with us. (TA.)

see 1, in the latter half, in two places.

أَزْحَفَ said of a man means His camel, or his horse or the like, became fatigued. (Ṣ.)

ازحف لَنَا بَنُو فُلَانٍ The sons of such a one became a زَحْف to us, (Ḳ, TA,) i. e., an army marching to us to fight with us. (TA.)

And ازحف فُلَانٌ Such a one attained to the utmost of that which he sought, or desired. (Ḳ,* TA.)

ازحف said of long journeying, It fatigued the camels. (TA.)

ازحفت الرِّيحُ الشَّجَرَ ‡ The wind put the trees into a state of gentle motion. (TA.)

تزاحفوا They drew near, one to another, in fight. (IDrd, Z, Ḳ.) They walked, or marched, one to, or towards, another; as alsoازدحفوا↓. (TA.)

زَحْفٌ An army, or a military force, marching by little and little, or leisurely, to, or towards, the enemy, (Ṣ, A, Ḳ, TA,) or heavily, by reason of their multitude and force: (A, TA:) or a numerous army or military force; an inf. n. used as a subst.; (Mgh, Mṣb;) because, by reason of its multitude, and heaviness of motion, it is as though it crept, or crawled, along: (Mgh:) accord. to Az, from زَحَفَ عَلَى ٱسْتِهِ, said of a child: (TA:) not applied to a single individual: (IḲooṭ, Mṣb:) pl. زُحُوفٌ. (Mṣb, TA.)

And hence, as being likened thereto, ‡ A swarm of locusts. (TA.)

فَرَّ مِنَ الزَّحْفِ, occurring in a trad., means He fled from war with unbelievers; and from encountering the enemy in war. (TA.)

إِذَا لَقِيتُمُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا زَحْفًا, in the Ḳur [viii. 15], means, accord. to Zj, زَاحِفِينَ, i. e. [When ye meet those who have disbelieved] marching by little and little [in consequence of their great number, to attack you]. (TA.)

زَحْفَةٌ [inf. n. of un. of 1; A walk,, &c.].

نَارُ الزَّحْفَتَيْنِ The fire of the شِيح and the أَلَآء; because it quickly blazes in them [and then subsides]; (Ṣ, Ḳ;) so that one walks, or creeps, from them [and back to them]: (Ṣ:) or the fire of the عَرْفَج; (M, A;) because it quickly takes effect upon it; so that when it blazes, those who warm themselves at it walk, or creep, from it; then it soon subsides, and they walk, or creep, back to it: (M, TA:) and the like is said by IB; wherefore, he adds, it is called أَبُو سَرِيعٍ. (TA.) It was said to a woman of the Arabs, “Wherefore do we see you to be scant of flesh in the posteriors and thighs?” and she answered, أَرْسَحَتْنَا نَارُ الزَّحْفَتَيْنِ [The fire of the شِيح and the أَلَآء, or of the عَرْفَج, has rendered us scant of flesh in the posteriors and thighs]. (Ṣ.)

زُحَفَةٌ, (Ḳ,) or زُحَفَةٌ زُحَلَةٌ, A man (TA) who does not travel about in the countries: (Ḳ, TA:) so in the Moḥeeṭ. (TA.)

زَحُوفٌ: see زَاحِفٌ, in two places.

[Also, accord. to Freytag, occurring in the Deewán el-Hudhaleeyeen as meaning Going along slowly.]

زَحَّافَةٌ, in the dial. of Egypt, signifies مَا يُزَحَّفُ بِهِ البَيْتُ [i. e. The thing, generally a palm-branch, with which the house, or chamber, is swept, to remove the dust and cobwebs from the roof and walls]. (TA.)

زَحَنْفَفَةٌ One who creeps along (يَزْحَفُ) upon the ground, (Ibn-ʼAbbád, Ḳ,) either from fatigue or old age. (TA.)

Also A man (TA) whose heel-tendons nearly knock against each other. (Ibn-ʼAbbád, Ḳ, TA.)

زَاحِفٌ [part. n. of 1; Walking,, &c.].

‡ An arrow that falls short of the butt, and then slides along to it: (Ṣ,* Mṣb, TA:*) pl. زَوَاحِفُ. (Mṣb.)

A camel fatigued, and dragging his foot, or the extremity of his foot; (Ḳ;) as alsoزَاحِفَةٌ↓, in which the ة is added to denote intensiveness: (Mṣb:) or the latter is applied, in the sense expl. above, to a she-camel; (Ṣ, Ḳ;) and soزَحُوفٌ↓; (Ḳ;) or this last signifies a she-camel that drags her hind legs or feet: andمُزْحِفٌ↓, applied to a he-camel, has the former of these meanings: (Ṣ:) [see also سَحُوفٌ, said to be a dial. var. of زَحُوفٌ:] the pl. ofزَاحِفَةٌ↓ is زَوَاحِفُ; (Ṣ, Mṣb, Ḳ;) and the pl. ofزَحُوفٌ↓ is زُحُفٌ. (TA.) Also Fatigued and motionless; whatever it be, whether lean or fat; and soمُزْحِفٌ↓. (TA.) And, accord. to Aboo-Saʼeed Ed-Dareer, [simply] Fatigued; (TA;) and soمُزْحِفٌ↓; applied to a camel: (Ḳ:) or the latter, so applied, signifies fatigued, and standing still with his owner: the former is applied to the male and to the female; and its pl. is زَوَاحِفُ: it is said to be also the name of a certain camel; but Th denies this. (TA.)

مُزْحِفٌ: see زَاحِفٌ, in three places.

سَحَابٌ مُزْحِفٌ ‡ Clouds moving slowly, because carrying much water; likened to fatigued camels. (TA.)

مَزْحَفَةٌ a n. of place, sing. of مَزَاحِفُ, (TḲ,) which signifies The places of the creeping of serpents; (Ṣ, Ḳ, TA;) and the marks, or tracks, of the passage thereof: (TA:) andمَزْحَفٌ↓, likewise signifies the mark, or track, of a serpent, upon the ground; like مَسْحَفٌ. (TA in art. سحف.)

مَزَاحِفُ also signifies The places of fighting of a party, or people. (TA.)

And ‡ The places of pouring [of the water] of the clouds; (TA;) the places where falls the rain of the clouds. (Ḳ, TA. [In the CK, السَّحَابُ is erroneously put for السَّحَابِ.])

مِزْحَافٌ A camel wont, or accustomed, to become fatigued, (Ṣ, Ḳ, TA,) and to drag his foot, or the extremity of his foot, (Ṣ,) or to stand still with his owner: (TA:) or ‡ a she-camel that quickly becomes attenuated, or chafed, or abraded, or worn, in the sole of the foot: (A, TA:) pl. مَزَاحِيفُ (Ṣ, TA) and مَزَاحِفُ. (TA.)