Classical Arabic - English Dictionary

صَفَّ, (Ṣ, M, Mgh, O, Mṣb, Ḳ,) aor. ـُ {يَصْفُفُ}, (Mṣb, TA,) inf. n. صَفٌّ, (O, Mṣb, Ḳ, TA,) He set, or placed, or stationed, (Ṣ, M, Mgh, O, Ḳ,) a company of men, (Ṣ, M, Mgh, O, Mṣb, Ḳ,) in war (Ṣ, O, Ḳ), &c., (O, Ḳ,) and a military force, (TA,) and also [in a similar sense] a thing, (Mṣb,) in a rank, or row, or line: (Ṣ, M, Mgh, O, Ḳ:) and likewise صفّف↓, (TA,) inf. n. تَصْفِيفٌ; (IDrd, O, Ḳ, TA;) but this has an intensive signification. (IDrd, O, TA.)

One says also of a she-camel, تَصُفُّ يَدَيْهَا عِنْدَ الحَلَبِ [She sets her fore legs evenly, side by side, not putting one of them in advance of the other, as if about to go onward, on the occasion of being milked]. (Ṣ, M, O, Ḳ. [See also صَفَنَ, said of a man: and see صَانَ in art. صون.]) And [in like manner] one says, صَفَّتِ الإِبِلُ قَوَائِمَهَا [The camels set their legs in an even row]. (Ṣ, O.)

And of a she-camel one says also, تَصُفُّ أَقْدَاحًا مِنْ لَبَنِهَا إِذَا حُلِبَتْ [as though meaning She yields a row of bowls of her milk when she is milked], because of the abundance of her milk. (Ṣ, O, Ḳ *.) And تَصُفُّ بَيْنَ مِحْلَبَيْنِ أَوْ ثَلَاثَةٍ, (Ṣ, O,) or simply تَصُفُّ, (M,) She combines two milking-vessels, or three, at one milking; (Ṣ,* M, O;*) الصَّفُّ meaning her being milked into two milking-vessels, or three, (Ṣ, O, Ḳ,) so as to combine them. (Ṣ, O. [In the CK, أَنْ تَحْلُبَ is a mistake for أَنْ تُحْلَبَ.]) And a rájiz, cited by AZ, says, referring to a she-camel,

* تَصُفُّ فِى ثَلَاثَةِ المَحَالِبِ *

[She is milked into three milking-vessels at one milking]. (Ṣ, O.) One says also صَفَّهَا, i. e. حَلَبَهَا صَفًّا [app. meaning He milked her into two bowls, or three, at one milking; or into two bowls; the pronoun referring to a she-camel]. (M. [One or the other of these two meanings appears to be indicated by what there precedes this.])

صُفَّ عَلَى الجَمْرِ لِيَنْشَوِىَ (Ṣ, Ḳ) is said of flesh-meat (Ṣ) [app. meaning It was laid, cut into a strip, or into strips, upon the live coals to broil]; and فِى الشَّمْسِ لِيَجِفَّ [in like manner, in the sun to dry]: (Ḳ:) for one says of him who has prepared flesh-meat cut into strips, or oblong pieces, and dried in the sun, صَفَّ اللَّحْمَ; and [in like manner] one says also, صَفَّهُ عَلَى النَّارِ لِيَنْشَوِىَ: (Mṣb:) or صَفَّ اللَّحْمَ,, aor. ـُ {يَصْفُفُ}, inf. n. صَفُّ, means he cut the flesh-meat into broad slices: (M:) and accord. to ISh, التَّصْفِيفُ↓ is like التَّشْرِيحُ, i. e. the cutting a piece of flesh-meat thin, so that it is translucent: (TA in the present art:) or التصفيف is a kind of تَشْرِيح; i. e. the cutting a piece of flesh-meat thin, so that it is translucent by reason of its thinness, and then throwing it upon the live coals. (TA in art. شرح.) [See صَفِيفٌ.]

See also 8, in three places.

صَفَّ said of a bird, (M, O, Mṣb, Ḳ,) aor. ـُ {يَصْفُفُ}, (M, Mṣb,) inf. n. صَفٌّ, (Mṣb, Ḳ,) It extended its wings in a line, (M,) or it expanded its wings, (O, Mṣb, Ḳ,) in the sky, and did not move them, (M,) or and struck [an evident mistake for and did not strike] with them its sides like the pigeon: (Mṣb:) such as do so are not to be eaten; (Mṣb, Ḳ;) as the vulture and the hawk: (Mṣb:) it is said in a trad., يُؤْكَلُ مَا دَفَّ وَلَا يُؤْكَلُ مَا صَفَّ. (O, Ḳ, TA. See art. دف.)

صَفَفْتُ لِلسَّرْجِ, (Ṣ,) or صَفَفْتُ لِلسَّرْجِ صُفَّةً, (O,) or صَفَفْتُ السَّرْجَ, (Ḳ, and so in one place in the O,) andأَصْفَفْتُهُ↓, (O, Ḳ,) but this latter verb is of weak authority, (O,) ‡ I put to the horse's saddle a صُفَّة [q. v.]: (S, O, Ḳ, TA:) [and] صَفَّ الدَّابَّةَ, and صَفَّ لَهَا, He made for the beast a صُفَّة. (M.)

صَافُّوهُمْ (Ṣ, MA, O,K) فِى القِتَالِ (Ṣ, O, Ḳ) They fought them in rank; they drew themselves out in a rank against them [in fight]. (MA.)

[And app. one says also صَافَّهُ meaning He had the صُفَّة of his house over against, or facing, his (another's) صُفَّة. See هُوَ مُصَافِّى, below.]

see 8.

One says also تصافّوا عَلَيْهِ They collected themselves together in a rank, or row, or line, against him. (M, TA.) And تصافّوا عَلَى المَآءِ They collected themselves together at the water; as also تضافّوا عَلَيْهِ: like as one says تصوّك فِى خُرْئِهِ and تضوّك, and صَلَاصِلُ المَآءِ and ضَلَاضِلُهُ. (Lḥ, TA.)

اصطفّوا They stood in, (Ṣ, Mgh, O, Ḳ,) or became, (M,) [or set, placed, or stationed, themselves in,] a rank, or row, or line; (Ṣ, M, Mgh, Mṣb;*) or ranks, or rows, or lines; (O, Ḳ;) as alsoتصافّوا↓; (M, O,* Ḳ;* [التَّصَافُّ being expl. in the O and Ḳ by التَّسَاطُرُ; in the CK, erroneously, التَّشاطُرُ;]) and soصَفُّوا↓, (M, Mgh, Mṣb,) aor. ـُ {يَصْفُفُ}, (M, Mgh,) inf. n. صَفٌّ and صَفَّى, but [ISd says] this latter inf. n. I have not heard except in a phrase mentioned in what follows. (M.) Hence the saying,تَصُفُّ↓ النِّسَآءُ خَلْفَ الرِّجَالِ وَلَا تَصُفُّ مَعَهُمْ [The women shall stand in a rank behind the men in the mosque, and shall not stand in a rank with them]. (Mgh.) And hence the saying of a woman of the desert to her sons, إِذَا لَقِيتُمُ العَدُوَّ فَدَغَرَى وَلَا صَفَّى↓ i. e. [When ye meet the enemy, rush upon them without consideration, and] do not set yourselves in a rank. (M. [See also 1, in art. دغر.])

صَفْصَفَ He journeyed, (سَارَ, O, and so in copies of the Ḳ,) or became, (صَارَ, so in the CK,) alone in a صَفْصَف, or level tract of land. (O, Ḳ.)

And He pastured upon the trees called صَفْصَاف. (O, Ḳ.)

And صَفْصَفَةٌ [as an inf. n., or as a simple subst.,] signifies The crying or cry, (صَوْت,) of the sparrow, which is called صُفْصُف (O, Ḳ) in some one or more of the dialects. (O.)

صَفٌّ A rank, row, or line [of things]; (KL, PṢ;) or an even صَدْر [i. e. front, or fore part,] of any things: (M:) and a company of men standing in a rank, or row, or line: (O, Ḳ:) pl. صُفُوفٌ; (Ṣ, M, O, Mṣb, Ḳ;) and the sing. may also be used in the sense of the pl.; it may be used either thus in the sense of the pl. or as a sing. in the Ḳur xviii. 46. (O.) Hence, in a trad., سَوُّوا صُفُوفَكُمْ [Make even your ranks] in prayer. (O, TA.)

Also A station of صُفُوف [or ranks of men]. (M. [See also مَصَفٌّ.]) And hence, (M,) as used in the Ḳur xx. 67, i. q. مُصَلًّى [i. e. A place of prayer, or a place of prayer on the occasion of the عِيد, or festival]; (Az, M, O;) because the people stand there in ranks: (M:) i. e. a place where people assemble for their عِيد: (Az, O:) or, in that instance, صَفًّا may mean مُصْطَفِّينَ [i. e. standing in ranks], (Az, M, O,) as a denotative of state. (M.)

And A pair of bowls (قَدَحَانِ) [app., as seems to be indicated, that are filled at one milking of a camel]; because they are put together. (M.)

Also A certain medicament with which the teeth are whitened. (O.)

صُفَّةٌ An appertenance of a house, (Ṣ, Mgh, O, Mṣb, Ḳ, [in none of which is it explained,]) or of a building, like a wide بَهُو [here used in a post-classical sense, as meaning a kind of vestibule, or portico, for shade and shelter, open in front], with a long roof or ceiling; (Lth, TA;) the طُرَّة of a building [app. meaning what is above described]; (M;) i. q. سَقِيفَةٌ: (Ṣ and Mṣb and Ḳ in art. سقف:) [see سَفِيفَةٌ; and see also سُدَّةٌ:] and i. q. ظُلَّةٌ [i. e. a roof, or covering, for shade and shelter, over the door of a house; or extending from a house to another house opposite; like سُدَّةٌ and سَقِيفَةٌ]: (M:) [for the meaning assigned to it by Golius as from the Ṣ, and by Freytag as from the Ḳ and Ṣ, (“scamnum discubitorium, fere ex lapidibus structum,”) I find no authority in any Arabic work: in Egypt, it is applied to a shelf of marble or of common stone, about four feet high, supported by two or more arches, or by a single arch, figured and described in the Introduction to my work on the Modern Egyptians; this being app. so called because resembling in form, though not in size, a porch:] the pl. is صُفَفٌ (Ṣ, O, Mṣb, Ḳ) and صِفَافٌ and صُفَّاتٌ. (Mgh.) أَهْلُ الصُّفَّةِ [The people of the صُفَّة] was an appellation applied to certain persons who were the guests of El-Islám, [i. e. supported by the charity of the Muslims,] (O, Ḳ, TA,) consisting of poor refugees, and houseless men, (TA,) who passed the night in the صُفَّة of the mosque of the Prophet [in El-Medeeneh], which was a covered place, an appertenance of the mosque, (O, Ḳ, TA,) roofed over with palm-sticks; (Ḥar p. 379; [where see more;]) thither they resorted for lodging; and sometimes they were few, and sometimes they were many: [SM says,] I have drawn up a list of their names, in a tract, to the number of ninety-two, (TA in the present art.,) or ninetythree. (TA voce أَوْفَاضٌ.) [ISd says,] عَذَابُ يَوْمِ الصُّفَّةِ [The punishment of the day of the صُفَّة] is the same as عَذَابُ يَوْمِ الظُّلَّةِ [mentioned in the Ḳur xxvi. 189]: (M, TA:) Lth says that the former was a day on which a certain people disobeyed their apostle, wherefore God sent upon them heat and clouds which overspread them, so that they perished: and Az says that it is not the same as that mentioned in the Ḳur, and that he knew not what is meant by عذاب يوم الصفّة: (O, TA:) it seems, however, that both mean the same, as الصُّفَّةُ and الظُّلَّةُ are one in meaning. (TA.)

Also ‡ An appertenance of the سَرْج [or horse's saddle]; (Ṣ, M, IAth, Mgh, O, Ḳ, TA;) like the مِيثَرَة [q. v. in art. وثر] of the رَحْل [or camel's saddle]; (IAth, L, TA;*) the thing with which it is covered, between the قَرَبُوسَانِ, which are its fore part and its hinder part: (Mgh:) or, (M, TA,) as also of the رَحْل, (M,) the thing that comprises within it (تَضُمُّ) the [two pieces of wood called the] عَرْقُوَتَانِ and the [two pads, or stuffed things, called the] بِدَادَانِ, above them and beneath them: (M, TA:) pl. صُفَفٌ (Ṣ, M, O, Ḳ) and صِفَافٌ, the latter mentioned by Sb. (M.)

Also ‡ A long period (زَمَانٌ) of time. (O, Ḳ, TA.) So in the saying, عِشْنَا صُفَّةٌ مِنَ الدَّهْرِ ‡ [We lived, or have lived, a long period of time]. (O, TA.)

And † The quantity of grain that is put upon the palm of the hand: occurring in a trad. of Abu-d-Dardà, in the saying, أَصْبَحْتُ لَا أَمْلكُ صُفَّةً وَلَا لُفَّةً [I became so that I possessed not the quantity of grain that might be put on the palm of the hand, nor a morsel of food]; اللُّفَّةُ meaning اللُّقْمَةُ. (TA.)

صَفَفٌ A thing that a man wears beneath the coat of mail (Ibn-ʼAbbád, O, Ḳ) in the day of battle. (Ibn-ʼAbbád, O.)

صَفُوفٌ A she-camel that yields a row of bowls of her milk (تَصُفُّ أَقْدَاحًا مِنْ لَبَنِهَا Ṣ, O, Ḳ) when she is milked, (Ṣ, O,) because of the abundance of her milk: (Ṣ, O, Ḳ:) or for which two vessels are set side by side (يُصَفُّ), and which fills them: (Ḥam p. 535:) or that sets her fore legs evenly, side by side, (تَصُفُّ يَدَيْهَا, [see 1,]) on the occasion of being milked. (Ṣ, M, O, Ḳ.) [See an ex. in a verse cited voce صُوفٌ. And see also ضَفُوفٌ.]

صَفِيفٌ Flesh-meat (Ṣ, M) such as has been laid, cut into a strip, or into strips, (صُفَّ, Ṣ, Ḳ, and the like in the M and O, or شُرِحَ وَصُفَّ, Mgh,) upon the live coals (Ṣ, Mgh, O, Ḳ) to broil (Ṣ, Mgh, Ḳ) or to become thoroughly cooked, (O,) or upon the pebbles, and then roasted, or broiled, (M,) or in the sun, to dry: (O, Ḳ:) or flesh-meat cut into strips, or oblong pieces, and dried in the sun, (M,* Mgh, Mṣb,) or, as Lth says, and in like manner Ks, spread in the sun [to dry]: (Mgh:) or flesh-meat cut into broad slices: (M:) or, accord. to Khálid Ibn-Jembeh, flesh-meat cut into slices, not in the manner of قَدِيد, but made broad, like cakes of bread [which are generally about a span, or somewhat less, in width, round and flat]: (TA:) [or cut thin so as to be translucent: (see 1, latter half:)] or flesh-meat made to boil once, and then taken up [from the fire]. (M.)

الصُّفِّيَّةُ The صُوفِيَّة: so called in relation to those called أَهْلُ الصُّفَّةِ. (TA. [See art. صوف.])

صَافٌّ [originally صَافِفٌ, act. part. n. of صَفَّ, q. v.]. صَافَّةٌ and [its pl.] صَوَافُّ are epithets applied to camels [as meaning Setting their legs in an even row], from صَفَّتْ قَوَائِمَهَا: (Ṣ, O:) [or] صَوَافَّ (in the Ḳur xxii. 37, O, Ḳ) means مَصْفُوفَةً [i. e. set in a row], (M, O, Ḳ, TA,) to be slaughtered; (M, TA;) of the measure فَوَاعِل in the sense of the measure مَفَاعِل [thus in the O, and also (probably copied therefrom) in the copies of the Ḳ; but correctly مَفَاعِيل]: or it means مُصْطَفَّةً [i. e. standing in a row]: (O, Ḳ:) or, as related by I’Ab, it is صَوَافِنَ. (TA.) In the phrase وَٱلصَّافَّاتِ صَفًّا in the Ḳur [xxxvii. 1], by الصَّافَّات are meant The angels standing in ranks in Heaven, glorifying God. (M, O, Ḳ.)

Applied to a bird, it means Expanding its wings and not moving [or flapping] them [in its flight]: opposed to دَافٌّ. (M and TA in art. دف.)

صَفْصَفٌ A level, or an even, tract of land or ground: (Ṣ, O, Mṣb, Ḳ:) thus expl. by AA, and by Mujáhid, as used in the Ḳur xx. 106: by others as meaning smooth: accord. to Fr, having in it no herbage: and accord. to IAạr, bald: pl. صَفَاصِفُ: (TA:) or أَرْضٌ صَفْصَفٌ signifies a smooth, and level, or even, land; and so, accord. to IJ, [the fem.] صَفْصَفَةٌ. (M.) Also, (M,) or صَفْصَفَةٌ [app. as an epithet in which the quality of a subst. is predominant], (TA,) A desert, or waterless desert; syn. فَلَاةٌ; (M, TA;) from IDrd. (TA.)

And The حَرْف [i. e. ridge, or brow, or ledge,] of a mountain. (Ibn-ʼAbbád, O, Ḳ.)

صُفْصُفٌ The sparrow, (IDrd, O, Ḳ,) in some one or more of the dialects. (IDrd, O.)

صَفْصَفَةٌ [fem. of صَفْصَفٌ, q. v.]

[Also] i. q. سِكْبَاجَةٌ [n. un. of سِكبَاجٌ, q. v., i. e., A mess of the kind of food thus called]; (AA, O, Ḳ;) as alsoصَفْصَافَةٌ↓, (O, Ḳ,) which is of the dial. of Thakeef. (O.)

And A certain insect (دُوَيْبَّة, Lth, M, O), by the Persians (العَجَم) called the سِيسَك [i. e. weevil]: (Lth, O:) a word adventitious to the Arabic language. (Lth, M, O.)

صَفْصَافٌ The tree called خِلَاف: (Ṣ, M, O, Ḳ:) [accord. to modern usage, the latter is the salix Aegyptia of Linn.: (Forskål's Flora Aegypt. Arab., p. lxxvi., and Delile's Floræ Aegpyt. Illustr., no 934:) and the صفصاف accord. to Forskål, ibid., is the salix Babylonica; or this is called صَفْصَاف رُومِىّ: (Delile, no. 932:) and another species of salix is called in Egypt صَفْصَاف بَلَدِىّ: (Forskål, ibid; and Delile, no. 933:)] or so in the dial. of Syria: (M, Mṣb:) or a kind of tree of which the خِلَاف is a species: (Ḳ in art. خلف:) n. un. with ة {صَفْصَافَةٌ}. (M, O, Ḳ.)

صَفْصَافَةٌ: see صَفْصَفَةٌ.

Also n. un. of صَفْصَافٌ [q. v.]. (M, O, Ḳ.)

مَصَفٌّ A station, (Ṣ, Mṣb,) or place where ranks are drawn up, (O, Ḳ,) in war, or battle: (Ṣ, O, Mṣb:) pl. مَصَافٌّ. (Ṣ, O, Mṣb, Ḳ.)

هُوَ مُصَافِّى He is the person whose صُفَّة [of his house] is over against, or facing, my صُفَّة. (IDrd, O, Ḳ.)