Classical Arabic - English Dictionary

سَنَفَ البَعِيرَ, aor. ـِ {يَسْنِفُ} and ـُ {يَسْنُفُ}, (Ṣ, M, Ḳ,) inf. n. سَنْفٌ; (M, Ḳ;) andاسنقهُ↓; (Ṣ,* M, Ḳ;) or, accord. to Aṣ, the latter only; (Ṣ;) He bound the سِنَاف [q. v.] upon the camel: (Ṣ, M, Ḳ:) and the latter, he put to him (i. e. the camel), or made for him, a سِنَاف; (Ḳ, TA;) thus expl. by El-'Ozeyzee. (TA.) [Hence, accord. to some,] one says, in a prov., of a person confounded or perplexed, and unable to see his right course, in his affair, عَىَّ بِالإِسْنَافِ↓, (Ṣ, Meyd,) meaning He was confounded, or perplexed, and unable to see his right course, by reason of fright, like him who knows not where to bind the سِنَاف: (Z, TA:) it originated from the fact of a man's being thus confounded, or perplexed: (Meyd:) a poet says, (namely, Ibn-Kulthoom, TA,)

* إِذَا مَا عَىَّ بِالإِسْنَافِ قَوْمٌ *

* مِنَ الأَمْرِ المُشَبَّهِ أَنْ يَكُونَا *

[as though meaning When a people are unable to find the right way to bind the سناف, in consequence of the affair that is uncertain to be: (thus related by Meyd; but in the TA with حَىٌّ in the place of قوم, and عَلَى in the place of من:)] Az, however, says that this is not the meaning: that الاسناف here signifies the advancing, or preceding; and that the meaning is, are unable to find the right way of advancing, or preceding; (Meyd, TA;) from أَسْنَفَ said of a horse, expl. below. (TA.)

See also the next paragraph {4}.

اسنف, inf. n. إِسْنَافٌ: see above, in two places.

Hence, i. e. from this verb in the sense expl. in the first sentence, (Ṣ, TA,) اسنف أَمْرَهُ ‡ He performed his affair skilfully, soundly, or thoroughly. (Ṣ, M, Ḳ, TA.)

Also He (a horse) preceded the other horses: (Ṣ, TA:) and اسنفت she (a camel) preceded the other camels (Ḳ, TA) in going, or journeying, or pace; (TA;) as alsoسَنَفَتْ↓. (Ḳ, TA.) [See the verse cited in the preceding paragraph, and the explanation of it by Az.] Said of a camel, it means also He put forward his neck, to go on: (Ḳ, TA:) or he advanced, or preceded. (TA.)

Said of lightning, It appeared, or was seen, near; and so said of the clouds (السَّحَاب). (Ḳ.)

And اسنفت الر ِّيحُ The wind blew violently, and raised the dust. (Ibn-ʼAbbád, Ḳ.)

سِنْفٌ A leaf; (M, and so in copies of the Ḳ, and in the TA;) or leaves: (so in other copies of the Ḳ:) pl. سِنْفٌ; thus in the copies of the Ḳ, [like the sing.,] but this requires consideration; and it seems that it is سُنُوفٌ, a pl. assigned to سِنْفٌ in a sense that will be mentioned in what follows: (TA:) [or the pl. is سِنَفَةٌ, likewise mentioned, as a pl. of سِنْفٌ, in what follows, in three places:] also (Ḳ) the leaf of the [tree called] مَرْخ: (AA, Ṣ, O, Ḳ:) or the pericarp of the مَرْخ: (Ṣ, M, O, Ḳ:) this, says IB, is the correct meaning, as those acquainted with the مرخ affirm; for, as ʼAlee Ibn-Hamzeh says, the مرخ has not leaves, nor thorns, but consists of slender twigs; it grows in [water-courses such as are termed] شُعَب: (TA:) a poet likens thereto the ears of horses: (Ṣ:) the pl. is سِنَفَةٌ: (M:) or the pericarps of any tree having a produce consisting of grains in a long pod, (AḤn, O, Ḳ,) that become scattered, when they dry, from that pod, the shale thereof remaining; (AḤn, O;) one such pod is termed سِنْفَةٌ↓; (AḤn, O, Ḳ;) and the pl. [or coll. gen. n.] is سِنْفٌ; (Ḳ;) and this last has for its pl. سِنَفَةٌ: (AḤn, O, Ḳ:) Aboo-Ziyád says that it is like [the pod of] the بَاقِلَّى [or bean], except that it is wider, and pointed at the extremity; wherefore a poet likens thereto the ear of a horse: (O:) or, accord. to AḤn, سِنْفَةٌ↓ signifies any pericarp, whether oblong or not oblong; and the pl. [or coll. gen. n.] is سِنْفٌ; and the pl. of سِنْفٌ is سِنَفَةٌ: (M:) [see also حُبْلَةٌ:] and the shale of the [bean called] بَاقِلَّآء, and of the [species of kidney-bean called] لُوبِيَآء, and of the lentil, and the like; (IAạr, TA;) or the shale of the first of these three when what was in it has been eaten; (Ḳ;) and the pl. is سُنُوفٌ. (IAạr, TA.)

Also, (Ḳ,) orسَنْفٌ↓, with fet-ḥ, (IAạr, O, L,) A branch, or twig, (عُودٌ,) stripped of its leaves. (IAạr, O, L, Ḳ.)

And the former, The [grain called] دَوْسَر [i. e. زُؤَان, q. v.,] which is sometimes in wheat and barley, (O, Ḳ,) and which vitiates them, and lowers their prices. (O.)

Also i. q. صِنْفٌ [A sort, or species]. (Ḳ.) One says, هٰذَا طَعَامٌ سِنْفَانِ [This is food, or wheat,] of two sorts, good and bad. (AA, O.)

And A company of men. (Ibn-ʼAbbád, O, Ḳ.) One says, جَآءَنِى سِنْفٌ مِنَ النَّاسِ A company of men came to me. (Ibn-ʼAbbád, O.)

سُنْفَتَانِ and سَنْفَتَانِ Two pieces of wood set upright, between which is put the [pulley called] مَحَالَة [by means whereof water is drawn.] (Ḳ.)

سِنَافٌ The [breast-girth called] لَبَب: (Ḳ:) or the appertenance of the camel that is as the لَبَب to the horse or similar beast: (Kh, Ṣ:) or a cord which you tie to the تَصْدِير [or breast-girth of the camel], then you bring it forward so as to put it behind the callous protuberance upon the breast, [and there, app., make it fast in some manner,] and it keeps the تصدير in its place: (Aṣ, Ṣ, O, Ḳ:) this is done only when the belly of the camel has become lank, and his تصدير has [consequently] become unsteady: (Ṣ, O, Ḳ:*) or a cord that is tied from the hind girth of the camel to his breast-girth and is then tied to his neck, when he has become lank: (M:) pl. [of mult.] سُنُفٌ (M, Ḳ) and سُنْفٌ (Ḳ) and [of pauc.] أَسْنِفَةٌ: (TA:) and a leathern strap or thong, or some other thing, that is put behind the [breast-girth called] لَبَب, in order that it may not slip [from its place]. (M.)

سَنُوفٌ A horse that shifts the saddle forwards. (Ibn-ʼAbbád, O, Ḳ.) [See also مِسْنَافٌ.]

سَنِيفٌ A cloth that is put, (AA, O, Ḳ,) or tied, (M,) upon the shoulders of the camel: pl. سُنُفٌ (AA, M, O, Ḳ) and سُنْفٌ: (Ḳ:) the cloths that are similarly placed upon the hinder parts of camels are called أَشِلَّةٌ [pl. of شَلِيلٌ]. (AA, O.)

Also The حَاشِيَة [properly meaning selvage, or selvedge,] of a carpet; (Ibn-ʼAbbád, O, Ḳ;) i. e., its خَمْل [which generally means nap; but this addition I think doubtful]. (Ibn-ʼAbbád, O.)

مُسْنَفَةٌ A she-camel having the سِنَاف [q. v.] tied upon her. (Ṣ, TA.)

And خَيْلٌ مُسْنَفَاتٌ Horses having the [withers, or parts called] مَنَاسِج high, or elevated: denoting a quality approved in them; for it is only in the best, and the generous, thereof: and when they are thus, the saddles recede upon their backs; wherefore the سِنَاف is put to them, to keep the saddles in their places. (M.)

مُسْنِفَةٌ A mare, (Ṣ, M, Ḳ,) and a she-camel, (M,) preceding others in going, or journeying, or pace; (Ṣ, M, Ḳ;) as alsoمِسْنَافٌ↓: (M:) and مَسَانِيفٌ [being pl. of the latter] signifies the same; and is applied to camels: (Th, TA:) or [so in the Ḳ, but more properly “and”] مُسْنَفَةٌ, with fet-ḥ to the ن is specially applied to the she-camel, (Ḳ, TA,) in the sense first assigned to it above: (TA:) or مُسْنِفَةٌ, (Ḳ, TA,) with kesr to the ن, (TA,) signifies a [youthful she-camel such as is termed] بَكْرَة that has completed the tenth month of her pregnancy, and whose udder has become swollen. (Ibn-ʼAbbád, Ḳ, TA,)

Also, (El-'Ozeyzee, O, Ḳ,) or مُسْنِفٌ andمِسْنَافٌ↓, (AA, M,) applied to a she-camel, Lean, or light of flesh, (AA, El-'Ozeyzee, M, O, Ḳ,) or lank in the belly. (AA, M.)

And مُسْنِفَةٌ signifies also Land affected with drought, barrenness, or dearth: (El-'Ozeyzee, O, Ḳ:) or a year of drought, barrenness, or dearth: [thus expl. as a subst., or an epithet in which the quality of a subst. is predominant:] pl. مَسَانِفُ. (AḤn, M.)

مِسْنَافٌ ‡ A camel that makes the saddle to shift backwards; (Ṣ, M, Ḳ, TA;) wherefore a سِنَاف is put to him: (Ṣ, TA:) and, (Ḳ,) or as some say, (Ṣ,) that makes it to shift forwards: (Ṣ, Ḳ, TA:) so says Lth: but ISh disallows his explanation, saying that it means a she-camel that makes the load to shift forwards; and that مِجْنَأَةٌ [a word which I have not found anywhere except in this instance] signifies the contrary: (TA:) or that makes her fore girth to slip forward; contr. of مُدْرِجٌ and مِدْرَاجٌ. (TA in art. درج.)

See also مُسْنِفَةٌ, in two places.