Classical Arabic - English Dictionary

[تظبّى, if used, means He acted like the ظَبْى, or gazelle; being similar to تَذَأَّبَ and تَنَمَّرَ, &c.: its part. n. is mentioned in the first paragraph {1} of art. ربض.]

ظَبْىٌ A certain animal, (TA,) well known; (Ṣ, Mṣb, Ḳ, TA;) the غَزَال [or gazelle; to which the former word is applied when used unrestrictedly, and which is app. here meant by the latter word, though this seems properly to signify “a young gazelle”]; (M;) [it is the gazella dorcas, also called antilope dorcas, of which the ariel, or antilope Arabica, is said to be a variety; or, accord. to some, each is a distinct species of gazelle: the name seems to be properly, but not always (as is shown by an explanation of رِئْمٌ), applied only to the true antelope of Arabia and adjacent countries, as distinguished from the cervine and bovine antelopes:] it is a name for the male; which is also called تَيْسٌ, when he has become what is termed a ثَنِىّ [q. v.], which he continues to be termed until he dies: (AḤát, Mṣb, TA:) the female is called ظَبْيَةٌ, (AḤát, T, M, Mṣb, Ḳ, TA,) and عَنْزٌ and مَاعِزَةٌ: (AḤát, Mṣb, TA:) the dual is ظَبْيَانِ: (Mṣb, TA:) and the pl. is أَظْبٍ, (Ṣ, M, Mṣb, Ḳ,) originally أَظْبُىٌ, (Ṣ, Mṣb,) a pl. of pauc., (Ṣ,) and ظُبِىٌّ and ظِبَآءُ, (Ṣ, M, Mṣb, Ḳ,) which last is of the masc. and fem., (M, Mṣb,) and ظَبَيَاتٌ, (Ṣ, M, Mṣb, Ḳ,) which is of the fem. (M, Mṣb.) One says, بِهِ دَآءُ ظَبْىٍ [lit. In him is the disease of a gazelle]; meaning in him is no disease; as there is [said to be] no disease in the ظبى. (AA, T.) And لَكَ عِنْدِى مِائَةٌ سِنَّ الظَّبْىِ [To thee I owe a hundred camels of the age of the gazelle], i. e., all of them ثُنْيَان [pl. of ثَنِىٌّ, q. v.], because the ظبى does not exceed what is termed إِثْنَآءٌ. (M.) [See also a verse cited voce سِنٌّ; in which the phrase فَجَآءَتْ كَسِنِّ الظَّبْىِ means And they came; like the age of the gazelle was the age of every one of them.] It is said in a prov., لَأَتْرُكَنَّهُ تَرْكَ ظُبَىٍّ↓ ظِلَّهُ [I will assuredly forsake him as a little gazelle forsakes the place of its shade]; because the ظبى, when it leaves its covert, does not return to it: it is said in confirming the relinquishing of anything. (T. [See ظِلٌّ, where other relations of this prov. are mentioned.]) And in another prov., الظِّبَآءَ عَلَى البَقَرِ, said when the tie of relationship and friendship between two men is severed, and it was used in the Time of Ignorance as a form of divorce: الظباء is in the accus. case by reason of اِخْتَرْتُ, or اِخْتَارَ, understood, [so that the meaning is I have preferred, or he has preferred, the gazelles to the wild cows,] by the بقر being meant the women: whence the saying, جَآءَ يَجُرُّ بَقَرَهُ [expl. in art. بقر]. (Meyd. [See also Freytag's Arab. Prov. ii. 61.]) And one says, أَتَيْتُهُ حِينَ شَدَّ الظَّبْىَ ظِلُّهُ i. e. [I came to him when its shade] confined the ظبى [or gazelle] by reason of the vehemence of the heat: or, as some relate it, حِينْ نَشَدَ الظَّبْىُ ظِلَّهُ, meaning طَلَبَهُ [i. e., when the gazelle sought its shade]. (TA.) And it is said in a trad., إِذَا أَتَيْتَهُمْ فَٱرْبِضْ فِى دَارِهِمْ ظَبْيًا [expl. voce رَبَضَ]. (T, TA.) بِهِ لَا بِظَبْىٍ, (Ṣ, TA,) or بِهِ لَا بِظَبْىٍ أَعْفَرَ, a prov., meaning May this accident befall him, (لِيَنْزِلْ بِهِ هٰذِهِ الحَادِثَةُ,) not a white antelope, (Meyd,) is said on an occasion of rejoicing at another's affliction, (Ṣ, Meyd, TA,) by way of imprecation, i. e. may God make that which has befallen him to cleave to him. (Ṣ, TA. [See also Freytag's Arab. Prov. i. 148.])

[الظِّبَآءُ and أَوْلَادُ الظِّبَآءِ are mentioned by Freytag as names of Certain stars: in relation to the former of which he refers to Ideler's “Unters.” pp. 20-21; and in relation to the latter, to the same work p. 21.]

And الظَّبْىُ is the name of A brand, or mark made with a hot iron, peculiar to some of the Arabs. (T, Ḳ.)

ظَبْيَةٌ fem. of ظَبْىٌ [q. v.]. (AḤát, T, &c.)

Also a name for † A woman; [or, app. a young woman;] and so أُمُّ ظَبْيَةٍ. (Mṣb, TA.)

And † A man who is stupid, dull, wanting in intel-ligence, inert, or wanting in vigour. (Ḳ, TA: but not in the CK.)

And accord. to the Ḳ, i. q. شَاةٌ: and بَقَرَةٌ: but this is a great mistake, caused by a misunderstanding of what is cited in the passage here next following from the M. (TA.)

Also The vulva of a woman: (Lth, T, Ṣ, M, Ḳ:) and, (M,) accord. to Aṣ, (T, Ṣ,) of any solid-hoofed beast: (T, Ṣ, M:) accord. to some, (M,) or accord. to Fr, (T, Ṣ,) of the bitch: (T, Ṣ, M:) and accord. to Lth, of the she-camel: (T:) IAạr makes it to be peculiarly of the she-ass, and of the ewe or she-goat, and of the cow; (M;) meaning that it signifies the vulva of these: (TA:) and it signifies also the vagina of the mare. (M.)

Also 1 [bag for travellingprovisions, &c., such as is called] جِرَاب: (M, Ḳ:) or peculiarly a small جِرَاب: (M, Ḳ:*) or one made of the skin of the ظَبْى [or gazelle]: (M:) or a thing [i. e. a pouch] like the خَرِيطَة and the كِيس: dim. ظُبَيَّةٌ↓: and pl. ظِبَآءٌ. (T.)

And A [tent such as is called] خِبَآء. (TA.)

And A place of bending, or turning, of a valley; (M, Ḳ;) as also ظُبَةٌ [mentioned in art. ظبو]: pl. of the former ظِبَآءٌ. (M.)

ظَبْيَةُ is one of the names of The well Zemzem. (TA.)

أَرْضٌ مَظْبَاةٌ A land abounding with ظِبَآء [or gazelles]. (M.)