Classical Arabic - English Dictionary

سَفَحَ, (Ṣ, A, Mṣb, Ḳ,) aor. ـَ {يَسْفَحُ}, (Mṣb, Ḳ,) inf. n. سَفْحٌ, (Mṣb,) [and app. سُفُوحٌ also, mentioned in what follows,] He poured out, or forth, water: (Ṣ, A:) and he shed blood, (Ṣ, A, Mṣb, Ḳ,) the blood of another; (Ṣ, A;) and tears; (Mṣb, Ḳ;) inf. n. as above, and سُفُوحٌ: (Ḳ:) or سَفَحَتِ العَيْنُ دَمْعَهَا [the eye shed its tears]. (A.) The saying, in a trad., فَقَتَلَ عَلَىرَأْسِ المَآءِ حَتَّى سَفَحَ الدَّمُ المَآءَ has been explained as meaning [And he slew at the head of the water so that] the blood covered the water: but IAth says that this is not consistent with the language; for سَفْحٌ signifies the act of “pouring out, or forth;” and that the meaning may therefore be, that the blood made the water to pour forth; like as when, into a full vessel, something heavier than what is in it is poured; for in this case there comes forth from it as much as has been poured into it. (TA.)

سُفِحَ فِى الأَرضِ † [He was stretched, or extended, upon the ground], said of a camel. (Ḳ.)

The verb is also used intransitively; you say, سَفَحَ المَآءُ, (Mṣb,) and الدَّمْعُ, inf. n. سُفُوحٌ and سَفَحَانٌ (O, Ḳ) and سَفْحٌ, (Ḳ,) The water, (Mṣb,) and the tears, (O, Ḳ,) poured out, or forth. (O, Mṣb, Ḳ.)

سفّح, inf. n. تَسْفِيحٌ, † He did a deed that profited him not; (Ḳ;) likened to the arrow called السَّفِح. (TA.)

[سافحهُ, inf. n. سِفَاحٌ, and perhaps مُسَافَحَةٌ also, He contended with him in the shedding of blood.] You say, بَيْنَهُمْ سِفَاحٌ Between them is a shedding of blood. (TA.)

And [hence,] بَيْنَهُمَا سِفَاحٌ ‡ Between them two is a contending in fight: or, in hocking [of camels] (مُعَاقَرَة). (A, TA.)

And سِفَاحٌ and مُسَافَحَةٌ also signify ‡ The committing fornication with another; (Ṣ, A, Mṣb, Ḳ;) لِأَنَّ المَآءَ يُصَبُّ ضَائِعًا; (Mṣb;) as alsoتَسَافُحٌ↓ [which is said of more than one pair]. (Ḳ.) You say, سَافَحَهَا ‡ He committed fornication with her. (A, Mṣb.) And سَافَحَتْةُ ‡ She committed fornication with him: (L:) or she abode with him in the practice of fornication. (TA.) [In all the copies of the Ṣ that I have been able to consult, three in number, I find سَافَحَهُ.] And فِى النِكَاحِ غُنْيَةٌ عَنِ السِفَاحِ ‡ [In marriage is that which renders one in no need of fornication]. (A, Mṣb.) In the Time of Ignorance, when a man demanded a woman in marriage, he said, اِنْكِحِينِى; and when he desired fornication, he said, سَافِحِينِى. (TA.)

أَجْرَوْا إِسْفَاحًا † They made [horses] to run without a wager. (Ḳ.) [App., like 2, from السَّفِيحُ, the arrow thus called.]

[تسفّح accord. to Freytag, signifies It was, or became, poured out, or forth: but he names no authority for this.]

تسافحوا الدِمَآءَ [They mutually shed blood; lit., bloods]. (A.)

See also 3.

سَفْحٌ The base, foot, bottom, or lowest or lower part, (أَصْل, Ḳ, or أَسْفَل, Ṣ, A, Ḳ,) of a mountain, (Ṣ, A, Ḳ,) which is the part whereinto is poured (يُسْفَحُ) the water [from the parts above]; i. e. the part where the side thereof rests upon the ground: (Ṣ: [as also صَفْحٌ:]) or the [part called] عَرْض thereof, [see this word,] that rests its side upon the ground: or the حَضِيض [app. as meaning the low ground at, or by, the base, or foot,] thereof: (Ḳ:) or the spreading part thereof: (A: [there said to be in this sense tropical; but why, I see not:]) or the face thereof: (Mṣb:) or the lowest, or lower, part thereof, where it is rugged: (Ḥam p. 80:) pl. سُفُوحٌ. (Ḳ.)

[The pl.] سُفُوحٌ also signifies Rocks that are soft, or smooth, (Ḳ, TA,) and slippery. (TA.)

سَفُوحٌ: see سَافِحٌ. You say جَفْنٌ سَفُوحٌ [An eyelid shedding copious tears]. (A.)

سَفِيحٌ A sack; syn. جُوَالِقٌ: (Ḳ:) سَفِيحَانِ signifies a pair of sacks which are placed (Ṣ, L) upon a camel, (L,) like the خُرْج. (Ṣ, L.)

And A thick, or coarse, [garment of the kind called] كِسَآء. (O, Ḳ.)

السَّفِيحُ [incorrectly written by Freytag سَفِيحة, as on the authority of the Ṣ,] is the name of An arrow used in the game called المَيْسِر, to which no portion pertains: (Ṣ, A,* Ḳ:) it is the fourth of the arrows to which the term غُفْل is applied, which have no notches, and to which is assigned no portion and no fine; these being added only to give additional weight to the collection of arrows from fear of occasioning suspicion [of foul play]: the first of them is called المُصَدَّرُ; the next, المُضَعَّفُ; the next, المَنِيحُ; and the next, السَّفِيحُ. (Lḥ, TA.)

See also مُسَافِحٌ.

سَفَّاحٌ A shedder of much blood. (A.) [Hence,] السَّفَّاحُ is the name of A sword of Homeyd Ibn-Bahdal. (Ḳ.)

[Hence also,] † A giver of many gifts; or one who gives much. (Ḳ.)

And † Chaste [or rather fluent or eloquent] in speech; syn. فَصِيحٌ: (Ḳ:) or possessing ability for speech. (Ṣ.)

سَافِحٌ Pouring out, or forth; (O, L, Mṣb, Ḳ;) applied to water, (A, Mṣb,) [and blood,] and tears (دَمْعٌ): (O, L, Ḳ:) [accord. to some, unacquainted with the intrans. verb سَفَحَ, a possessive epithet, i. e.] meaning ذُو سَفْحٍ: (Ḥam p. 709:) syn. with سَفُوحٌ↓, [or rather this is an intensive epithet,] andمَسْفُوحٌ↓ also is syn. with سَفُوحٌ; (TA;) or [rather] signifies poured out, or forth; (A,* L, Mṣb;) and is applied to water, (A, Mṣb,) and tears (دَمْعٌ). (L.)

أَسْفَحُ † Bald in the fore part of the head; (Ḳ;) as also أَسْقَحُ (TA) [and أَصْقَحُ].

مَسْفَحٌ [A place where water is poured out, or forth; and where blood, and tears, are shed: pl. مَسَافِحُ.] One says, لِلْوَادِى مَسَافِحُ The valley has places where it pours out, or forth. (A, TA.)

مُسَفِحٌ † One who does a deed that profits him not. (Ḳ. [See 2.])

مَسْفُوحٌ: see سَافِحٌ.

[Hence,] applied to a camel, it means قَدْ سُفِحَ فِى الأَرْضِ وَمُدَّ † [Stretched, or extended, upon the ground; وَمُدَّ being an explicative adjunct]. (Ḳ.)

† Wide. (Ḳ.) You say نَاقَةٌ مَسْفُوحَةُ الإِبْطِ ‡ A she-camel wide in the arm-pit. (A, Ḳ.) And جَمَلٌ مَسْفُوحُ الضُّلُوعِ ‡ A camel [wide i. e.] not contracted in the ribs. (A, TA.)

† Thick, coarse, or big. (Ḳ.)

You say also, إِنَّهُ لَمَسْفُوحُ العُنُقِ, meaning † Verily he is long, and thick, coarse, or big, in the neck. (TA.)

And المَسْفُوحُ is the name of † A horse of Sakhr Ibn-ʼAmr Ibn-El-Hárith. (Ḳ.)

مُسَافِحٌ † A fornicator. (TA.) And مُسَافِحَةٌ † A fornicatress; (TA;) a woman who does not abstain from fornication. (Aboo-Is-ḥáḳ, TA.) اِبْنُ مُسَافِحَةٍ means † A son of a fornicatress; (TA;) and [in like manner] سَفِيحٌ↓ a son who is the offspring of fornication. (Ṣgh, TA in art. عرض.)