Classical Arabic - English Dictionary

مَا فَافَ بِخَيْرٍ, (T, M, O,) or مَا فَافَ عَنِّى بِخَيْرٍ, (Ḳ.) وَلَا زَنْجَرَ, (T, O, Ḳ,) aor. يَفُوفُ, (Ḳ,) inf. n. فَوْفٌ, (T, M, O, Ḳ,) [may be rendered He did not benefit, or he did not benefit me, with what might be taken between the nail of his thumb and that of his forefinger, nor did he with what might be taken by the inside of the nail of the thumb from the extremity of the fore tooth; i. e., with a thing inconceivably small; or with anything; being] a phrase meaning one's answering (T, M, O, Ḳ) a person who has asked for a thing (T, O, Ḳ) by putting his thumb-nail upon the nail of his fore finger, (T, M, O, Ḳ,) and by taking away the inner side of the nail [of the thumb] from the extremity of the fore tooth, (T, O,) and saying “Not [even] this [will I give thee],” (T, O, Ḳ,) or “Not [even] the like of this.” (M.)

فُوفٌ The whiteness that is upon the nails of young persons; (Ṣ, M, O, Ḳ;) as alsoفَوْفٌ↓; (T, M, Ḳ;) the latter mentioned by Fr, but not known by IAạr; (T;) or the former is the more common: (Ḳ:) n. un. with ة↓; (M, Ḳ;) meaning a portion thereof. (M.)

And The integument [or pellicle] that is upon [what is termed] the core of the heart, and the stone of the date. (عَلَى حَبَّةِ القَلْبِ وَالنَّوَاةِ,) beneath the flesh [or pulpy substance] of the date: (M, Ḳ:) of the white grain [i. e. the embryo, which resembles a white grain,] in the interior of the date stone, from which the palm-tree grows forth [or germinates]: and it is said that فُوفَةٌ↓ signifies the integument [or pellicle] that is upon the date stone (Ṣ, O:) [i. e.] the thin integument that is upon the date-stone; also called the قِطْمِير. (T.)

[Hence, or from one of the significations mentioned above,] one says, مَا أَغْنَى عَنِّى فُوفًا i. e. [He (a man, Ṣ, O) did not avail me] aught. (Ṣ, O, Ḳ.) And مَا ذَاقَ فُوفَا [He tasted not] aught. (T, Ḳ.)

And فُوفٌ signifies also Any integument; (M, Ḳ;) and soفُوفَةٌ↓. (Ḳ)

And The bladder of an animal of the bovine kind; as alsoفَوْفٌ↓: (Ḳ.) mentioned by Ṣgh in the TṢ. (TA.)

Also A sort of the [garments called] بَرُود of El-Yemen: (M, Ḳ:) thin, variegated, or figured, garments of El-Yemen: (IAạr, T:) and one says alsoفُوفِىٌّ↓ بُرْدٌ, and ثُوثِىٌّ, which is formed by substitution, and mentioned by Yaạḳoob, and بُرْدُ أَفْوَافٍ meaning a بُرْد having white stripes. (M.) and soبُرْدٌ مُفَوَّفٌ↓; (Ṣ, M, Ḳ;) or this last and بُرْدُ أَفْوَافٍ signify a thin بُرْد; (Ṣ, O, Ḳ, TA;) and in like manner one says حُلَّةُ أَفْوَافٍ. (TA.) أَفْوَافٌ is pl. of فُوفٌ: (Ṣ, O:) and accord. to Lth, the أَفْوَاف are of the [بُرُود called] عَصْب [q. v.] of El-Yemen. (O.)

Also Flowers or blossoms, syn. زَهْرٌ: [in the CK زَهَر;] used in this sense by Ibn-Aḥmar; being likened by him to the garments called فُوف. (T, Ḳ, TA.)

And Portions of cotton: (O, Ḳ, and so in some copies of the Ṣ:) [perhaps meaning] a white thing [resembling cotton] which is in the عُشَر [q. v.]. (Ḥam p. 784.)

[And Freytag mentions its signifying The extreme portion of the penis; as on the authority of the Ḳ: but he seems to have confounded فُوفٌ with فُوقٌ.]

فُوفَةٌ the subst. denoted by the verb فَافَ: (M, TA:) [as such,] it is coupled by a poet with زِنْجِير [which is similar to it is meaning: see this last word]. (Ṣ, O, TA.)

Also n. un. of فُوفٌ. (Ṣ, M, O, Ḳ.) See this latter word, in three places.

بُرْدٌ مُفَوَّفٌ: see فُوفٌ, latter half.

غُرْفَةٌ مُفَوَّفَةٌ, the mention of which occurs in a trad. of Kaab, means [An upper chamber] whereof one brick is of gold and another of silver [i. e. constructed of gold and silver bricks alternately]. (TA.)