Classical Arabic - English Dictionary

عَقْرَبَ He twisted, wreathed, curled, curved, or bent, a thing. (MA.)

[And, accord. to Freytag, He imitated the scorpion in acting: but for this he names no authority; and I doubt its correctness: see the next paragraph.]

تَعَقْرَبَ [It was crisp and curved; said of a lock of hair hanging down upon the temple: so accord. to Reiske, as mentioned by Freytag.]

[And He acted like 'Akrab; a man notorious for putting off the fulfilment of his promises; as is said in the TA in the present art.]. (A and TA in art. عرقب: see Q. 2 in that art.)

عَقْرَبٌ [The scorpion;] a certain venomous reptile, (TA,) well known: (Ḳ, TA:) the word is masc. (TA) and it is fem., (Ṣ, O, Ḳ, TA,) generally the latter; (T, Mṣb, TA;) but is applied to the male and the female: (Lth, T, O, Mṣb, TA:) and the male is called عُقْرُبَانٌ↓, (T, Ṣ, O, Mṣb, Ḳ, TA,) accord. to some, (O,) when one desires to denote it in a corroborative manner, (Mṣb, TA,) andعُقْرُبَّانٌ↓ also; (Ḳ;) or these two words are syn. with عَقْرَبٌ: (Ḳ:) and the female is called عَقْرَبَةٌ↓, (T, Ṣ, O, Mṣb, Ḳ,) sometimes, (T, Mṣb,) andعَقْرَبَآءُ↓, which is imperfectly decl.; (Ṣ, O, Ḳ;) or these two words and عَقْرَبٌ, accord. to the “Tahreer et-Tembeeh,” all denote the female, and the male is called عُقْرُبَانٌ↓: (TA:) or, as some say, the male and the female are called only عَقْرَبٌ: (Mṣb, TA:) and of عُقْرُبَانٌ↓ it is said by IB, on the authority of AḤát, that it does not signify the male of عَقَارِب, but [as expl. below] “a certain creeping thing, having long legs:” (TA:) IJ says that you may drop the ا and ن, and say عُقْرُرَّان↓: (L, TA:) and an instance occurs of عَقْرَابٌ↓, as a coll. gen. n., in the following verse:

* أَعُوذُ بِٱللّٰهِ مِنَ العَقْرَابِ *

* اَلشَّائِلَاتِ عُقَدَ الأَذْنَابِ *

[I seek protection by God from the scorpions raising the joints of the tails]: but the ا here is said to be inserted for the purpose of what is termed الإِشْبَاع: (MF, from the “Mukhtasar el-Bayán:”) and الشائلات is applied as an epithet to a sing. n. because this is used as a coll. gen. n.: (M voce سَبْسَبٌ:) the pl. of عَقْرَبٌ is عَقَارِبُ. (Ṣ, O.)

And [hence] العَقْرَبُ is the name of † A certain sign of the Zodiac, (T, Ṣ, O, Ḳ,) [i. e. Scorpio,] to which belong the Mansions of the Moon called الشَّوْلَةُ and القَلْبُ [and الإِكْلِيلُ] and الزُّبَانَيَانِ. (T, TA. [See these words, and see also شِيبَانُ, and مَنَازِلُ القَمَرِ in art. نزل. It should also be observed that the Arabs extended the figure of this constellation (as they did that of Leo) far beyond the limits that we assign to it.])

[Hence, likewise,] عَقْرَبٌ signifies † A thong, or strap, of a sandal, (O, Ḳ, TA,) in the form of the reptile of this name. (TA.) [See also عَقْرَبَة.]

And † A thong, or strap, (O, Ḳ,) plaited, and having a buckle at its extremity, (O,) by which the crupper of a horse, or the like, is bound to the saddle. (O, Ḳ.)

And the pl. عَقَارِبُ signifies also ‡ Malicious and mischievous misrepresentations, calumnies, or slanders. (O, Ḳ, TA.) One says, إِنَّهُ لَتَدِبُّ عَقَارِبُهُ ‡ Verily his malicious and mischievous misrepresentations,, &c., creep along: (TA:) or he traduces, or defames, people behind their backs, or otherwise. (O, Ḳ.) And the phrase دَبَّتْ عَقَارِبُهُ is sometimes used to signify ‡ His downy hair crept [along his cheeks]. (MF.)

And ‡ Reproaches for benefits conferred: so in the saying of En-Nábighah,

* عَلَىَّ لِعَمْرٍو نِعْمَةٌ بَعْدَ نِعْمَةٍ *

* لِوَالِدِهِ لَيْسَتْ بِذَاتِ عَقَارِبِ *

‡ [I owe unto ʼAmr favour after favour, for his father, not accompanied by reproaches for benefits conferred]. (TA.)

And † Hardships, severities, difficulties, troubles, or distresses. (Ḳ.) عَقَارِبُ الشِّتَآءِ means † The hardships, severities,, &c., of winter: (TA:) or the intense cold thereof: (O, Ḳ:) and عَقْرَبُ الشِّتَآءِ, accord. to IB, the assault, and intense cold, of winter. (TA.) And عَيْشٌ ذُو عَقَارِبَ means † An uneasy life: or a life in which is evil and roughness. (TA.)

See also the next paragraph.

عَقْرَبَةٌ: see عَقْرَبٌ, first sentence.

Also † An iron thing like the كُلَّاب [or flesh-hook], which is suspended, or attached, to the horse's saddle. (O, Ḳ.)

And, of a sandal, † The knots of the [thong, or strap, called] شِرَاك [q. v.]. (TA.)

And, (O, Ḳ,) thus in all the copies of the Ḳ, and in the handwriting of Ibn-Mektoom, but in the L عَقْرَب↓, (TA,) † An intelligent female slave, who does much service, or work. (O, L, Ḳ, TA.)

عُقْرُبَانٌ: see عَقْرَبٌ, first sentence, in three places.

Also, [or it has this meaning only, as stated above, voce عَقْرَبٌ,] A certain creeping thing, having long legs, and the tail of which is not like that of the عَقْرَب [or scorpion]: (Ṣ, IB, O, TA:) or a small creeping thing that enters the ear; long, yellow, and having many legs: (TA:) i. q. دَخَّالُ الأُذُنِ [an appellation now applied to the earwig]; (Az, Ḳ;) and (Ḳ) so عُقْرُبَّانٌ↓. (O, Ḳ.)

مُعَقْرَبٌ [Twisted, wreathed, curled,] curved, or bent. (Ḳ.) A صُدْغ [or lock of hair hanging down upon the temple curled, or] curved, or having one part turned upon another. (Ṣ, O.)

And Strong and compact in make: (Ḳ:) or مُعَقْرَبُ الخَلْقِ, applied to a wild ass, compact and strong in make. (O.)

Also, andذُو عُقْرُبَانَةٍ↓, One who aids, or assists, much, or well, (O,* Ḳ,* TA,) and resists attack: (Ḳ:) or an aider who resists attack with energy. (MF.)

مَكَانٌ مُعَقْرِبٌ A place having in it scorpions (عَقَارِب). (Ṣ, O.) And أَرْضٌ مُعَقْرِبَةٌ (Ṣ, O, Mṣb, Ḳ) and مَعْقَرَةٌ, (Ṣ, O,* Ḳ,) the latter as though formed from عَقْرَبٌ after reducing it to three letters, (Ṣ,) A land in which are scorpions: (Ṣ, O, Mṣb:) or a land abounding with scorpions. (Ḳ.)