سفن

Form 1 · Form 2 · 13 entries · Qur'ānic frequency 4

Form 1سَفَنَهُ5 senses · 1 main

muḍāriʿـِيَفْعِلُ·ـُيَفْعُلُ·ـَيَفْعَلُmaṣdarسَفْنٌ سُفُونٌ

Core sense — he pared it, he stripped off its surfacegenerated

1.1he stripped off its outer covering; he pared it, peeled it, scraped it off—قَشَرَهُ

Said of anything superficial, and generally of a thing sticking to the surface of another thing.

Imra-el-Keys says: [And he came secretly, his belly paring the ground, you seeing the dust clinging to him as closely as could be]

shāhid

فَجَاءَ خَفِيًّا يَسْفِنُ الأَرْضَ بَطْنُهُتَرَىالتُّرْبَ مِنْهُ لَاصِقًا كُلَّ مَلْصَقِ

The meaning is that he came clinging to the ground so that the animals he hunted might not see him and flee.

In one version the reading is لَازِقًا and مَلْزَقِ.

1.1.1he pared and smoothed it—سفّنهُ

[Apparently in an intensive sense, or used of several objects.]

1.1.2the wind reduced the dust to a fine powder—سَفَنَتِ الرِيحُ التُّرَابَ

Muḍāriʿ and maṣdar as above.

[the wind pared off the dust from the surface of the earth]—سَفَنَت ِالرِيحُ التُّرَابَ عَنْ وَجْهِ الأرْضِ

1.1.3the wind blew upon the surface of the earth—سَفَنَتِ الرِّيحُ

the wind blew upon the surface of the earth—سَفِنَتِ

[Apparently meaning that it removed the dust.]

1.1.4the ship, or boat, sticks on the ground—السَّفِينَةُ تَسْفِنُ عَلَى وَجْهِ الأَرْضِ

Show Lane's original text

, (S, M, L, K,) aor. سَفِنَ , (M, L, K,) inf. n. سَفْنٌ , (S, M, L,) i. q. قَشَرَهُ [i. e. He divested or stripped it of, or he stripped off, scraped off, rubbed off, abraded, or otherwise removed, its outer covering or integument, or superficial part; he pared it, peeled it, &c.: and he, or it, pared, peeled, stripped, or rubbed, it off; namely, anything superficial and generally a thing adhering to the surface of another thing]. (S, M, L, K.) Imra-el-Keys says, 1 [And he came clandestinely, his belly paring the ground, thou seeing the dust sticking to him with the utmost sticking]; (S, M, L; but in the S, لَازِقًا and مَلْزَقِ ;) meaning that he came cleaving to the ground in order that the objects of the chase might not see him and flee from him. (S, L.) فَجَاءَ خَفِيًّا يَسْفِنُ الأَرْضَ بَطْنُهُ | تَرَىالتُّرْبَ مِنْهُ لَاصِقًا كُلَّ مَلْصَقِ And He pared and smoothed it; as also سفّنهُ [but app. in an intensive sense, or used in relation to several objects]. (M, L.) And سَفَنَتِ الرِيحُ التُّرَابَ , (M, L,) aor. as above, (L,) and so the inf. n., (M, L,) The wind reduced the dust to a fine powder: (M, L:) or سَفَنَت ِالرِيحُ التُّرَابَ عَنْ وَجْهِ الأرْضِ [The wind pared off the dust from the surface of the earth]. (S, L.) And سَفَنَتِ الرِّيحُ , aor. سَفُنَ , (Lh, M, L, K,) inf. n. سُفُونٌ , (Lh, M, L,) The wind blew upon the surface of the earth [app. removing the dust]; as also سَفِنَتِ , (Lh, M, L, K,) aor. سَفَنَ . (K.) And السَّفِينَةُ تَسْفِنُ عَلَى وَجْهِ الأَرْضِ The ship, or boat, sticks upon the ground. (L.)

Form 2سَفَّنَ1 sense

Core sense — he pared and smoothed itgenerated

2.1

See the entry before this one.

Show Lane's original text

see the preceding paragraph.

Derived nouns 11

Nounسَفَنٌ2 senses · 1 main

Core sense — a carpenter's adz; a rough skin used for smoothing arrowsgenerated

1a carpenter's adz or axe, or any tool with which one hews, shapes, or pares a thing—مِسْفَنٌ

Or an adz with which palm-trunks are pared; also سَفَرٌ and شَفَرٌ.

1.1

Also rough skin, thick or coarse, such as the skins of crocodiles, which is put upon the hilts of swords.

Or the skin of the fish called أَطُوم, a rough skin with which whips and arrows are rubbed [to smooth them], and which is put upon the hilts of swords.

AHn: a rough piece of the skin of the lizard called ضَبّ, or of the skin of a fish, with which the arrow is rubbed so as to remove the marks of the paring-knife.

Or, as some say, a stone with which one shapes and smooths.

Lth: sometimes an iron tool with which one rubs wood so as to smooth it.

AHeyth: a cane which is hollowed, with some notches cut in it, through which an arrow is put and repeatedly drawn [to smooth it]; also called طَرِيدَةٌ.

Mentioned in the article on طرد.

See an example in a verse cited in the article on خوف, form 5.

Show Lane's original text

A carpenter's adz, or axe, (L,) or a large adz or axe, (M, L,) or a thing (S, L, K) of any kind, (K,) with which one hews, or shapes out, or pares, a thing; as also مِسْفَنٌ : (S, L, K:) or an adz with which palm-trunks are pared; as also سَفَرٌ and شَفَرٌ . (ISk, L.) Also Rough skin, (S, M, L, K,) thick, or coarse, (M,) such as the skins of crocodiles, (S, L,) which is put upon the hilts of swords: (S, M, L:) or the skin of the fish called أَطُوم , which is a rough skin, wherewith whips and arrows are rubbed [to smooth them], and which is upon the hilts of swords: (Mgh, L: *) accord. to AHn, (M, L,) a rough piece of the skin of the [lizard called] ضَبّ , or of the skin of a fish, with which the arrow is rubbed so as to remove from it the marks of the paring-knife: (M, L, K:) or, as some say, (M, L,) a stone with which one shapes out, or pares, and smooths: (M, L, K:) sometimes, accord. to Lth, an iron implement with which one rubs wood so as to smooth it: (L:) accord. to AHeyth, a cane which is hollowed, and has some notches cut in it, through which an arrow is put and repeatedly drawn [to smooth it]; also called طَرِيدَةٌ . (L in art. طرد .) See an ex. in a verse cited in art. خوف , conj. 5.

Nounسَفُونٌ1 sense

Core sense — a wind that blows along the surface of the earthgenerated

1a wind that seems to wipe, or pare, the surface of the earth—سَافِنَةٌ

This word means a wind that blows upon the surface of the earth [apparently removing the dust]; or, as some say, a wind that blows constantly.

A ʿObeyd; or simply a wind. Its plural is سَوَافِنُ.

Show Lane's original text

A wind that blows upon the surface of the earth [app. removing the dust]; (M, K;) as also سَافِنَةٌ : (K:) or the former, a wind always blowing: (L:) and ↓ the latter signifies a wind as though wiping the surface of the earth; (A 'Obeyd, L;) or paring it; (L;) or [simply] a wind; (S;) and its pl. is سَوَافِنُ . (A 'Obeyd, S, L, K.)

Nounسَفِينٌ1 sense

Core sense — an adz for paring; a rough skin used for smoothinggenerated

See سَفِينَةٌ, in two places.

Show Lane's original text

: see سَفِينَةٌ , in two places.

Nounسِفَانَةٌ1 sense

Core sense — the craft of building and of sailing shipsgenerated

The craft, or occupation, of building ships or boats and of sailing them.

Show Lane's original text

The craft, or occupation, of constructing, (M, L, K,) and of navigating, (M, L,) ships or boats. (M, L, K.)

Nounسَفِينَةٌ2 senses · 1 main

Core sense — a ship, or boat; an oblong bookgenerated

1figurative · مجاز — inferred[the constellation Argo]—السَّفِينَةُ

A ship, or boat; of the measure فَعيلَةٌ in the sense of the measure فَاعِلَةٌ, as though it pared the surface of the water.

Or it is so called because it pares — that is, skims — the surface of the water; or because it pares the sands when the water is shallow and it runs aground; or because it then sticks on the ground.

Or it may be from سَفَنٌ, meaning “a carpenter's adz or axe with which he hews”, and, if so, it has the meaning of the measure مَفْعُولَةٌ.

Plurals: سَفَائِنُ, a regular plural; سُفُنٌ, which is the plural of the collective noun, or as though it were; and the collective noun سَفِينٌ.

This collective noun is irregular, belonging to a class proper to created things, as in تَمْرَةٌ, تَمْرٌ, نَخْلَةٌ, and نَخْلٌ, and is heard only in a few instances of things made by art; some say it is a dialectal variant of سَفِينَةٌ.

One of the southern constellations, with forty-five stars. The bright great star upon the southern oar is سْهَيْلٌ, that is, Canopus, according to Ptolemy; it is the star furthest from the سفينة in the south, and is marked on the astrolabe.

But some of the Arabs say that the bright star at the end of the second oar is called سُهَيْلٌ without restriction. [What star is meant by that I do not know.]

1.1

[Also an oblong book; and a commonplace book: apparently post-classical.]

Qur’ānic occurrences سَفِينَة 2 shown of 3

18:71

فَٱنطَلَقَا حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا رَكِبَا فِى ٱلسَّفِينَةِ خَرَقَهَا ۖ قَالَ أَخَرَقْتَهَا لِتُغْرِقَ أَهْلَهَا لَقَدْ جِئْتَ شَيْـًٔا إِمْرًا

So they both proceeded: until, when they were in the boat, he scuttled it. Said Moses: "Hast thou scuttled it in order to drown those in it? Truly a strange thing hast thou done!"

29:15

فَأَنجَيْنَـٰهُ وَأَصْحَـٰبَ ٱلسَّفِينَةِ وَجَعَلْنَـٰهَآ ءَايَةً لِّلْعَـٰلَمِينَ

But We saved him and the companions of the Ark, and We made the (Ark) a Sign for all peoples!

Occurrences of this form in the Qur’ān, not Lane’s choice of verse. They show the word in use; they do not say which sense above applies. Where more occur than are shown, the shortest āyāt are chosen.

Show Lane's original text

A ship, or boat; (M, L;) of the measure فَعيلَةٌ in the sense of the measure فَاعِلَةٌ ; (IDrd, S, M, L, Msb;) as though it pared the surface of the water; (IDrd, S, L, Msb;) or so called because it pares [meaning skims] the surface of the water; (M, L;) or because it pares the sands [by running aground] when the water is little [in depth]; or because [in that case] it sticks upon the ground; or it may be from سَفَنٌ meaning “ a carpenter's adz or axe with which he hews &c., ” and, if so, having the meaning of the measure مَفْعُولَةٌ : (L:) the pl. is سَفَائِنُ and سُفُنٌ (M, L, Msb, K) and [coll. gen. n.] سَفِينٌ : (S, M, L, Msb, K:) the first of these is a regular pl.: (Sb, M, L:) the second is pl. of the third, (Msb,) or it is as though it were pl. of the third: (Sb, M, L:) ↓ the third is anomalous, being of a class proper to created things, as in the instances of تَمْرَةٌ and تَمْرٌ , and نَخْلَةٌ and نَخْلٌ , and only heard in a few instances in the cases of things made by art; and some say that it is a dial. var. of سَفِينَةٌ . (Msb.) [Hence,] السَّفِينَةُ [The constellation Argo;] one of the southern constellations, of which the stars are five and forty, the bright great star upon the southern oar being سْهَيْلٌ [i. e. Canopus], accord. to Ptolemy, and it is the most remote star from the سفينة , in the south, and is marked on the astrolabe; but some of the Arabs say that the bright star at the extremity of the second oar [but what star is meant thereby I know not] is called سُهَيْلٌ , without restriction. (Kzw.) [Also An oblong book: and a commonplace book: app. post-classical.]

Nounسَفَّانٌ1 sense

Core sense — one who builds ships; a navigator or master of a shipgenerated

A builder of ships or boats; and a navigator, or a master, of a ship or boat.

Show Lane's original text

A constructor, or builder, of ships or boats: (M, L, K:) and a navigator, (M, L,) or a master, (S, Msb,) of a ship or boat. (S, M, L, Msb.)

Nounسَفَّانَهٌ1 sense

Core sense — a pearlgenerated

A pearl.

Show Lane's original text

A pearl. (K.)

Nounسَافِنَةٌ1 sense

Core sense — a wind that blows along the surface of the earthgenerated

Plural سَوَافِنُ. See سَفُونٌ, in two places.

Show Lane's original text

; pl. سَوَافِنُ : see سَفُونٌ , in two places.

Nounالسَّافِينُ1 sense

Core sense — a certain vein in the inner side of the spinegenerated

A certain vein in the inner side of the spine, running lengthwise, with which the نِيَاط [q. v.] of the heart is joined.

[Golius and Freytag explain it as meaning the “saphena”, but that is called الصَّافِنُ.]

Show Lane's original text

A certain vein in the inner side of the spine, extending lengthwise, with which is united the نِيَاط [q. v.] of the heart. (K.) [Golius and Freytag explain it as meaning the “ Saphæna: ” but this is called الصَّافِنُ .]

Nounسِيفَنَّةٌ1 sense

Core sense — a certain Egyptian bird that strips a tree of its leavesgenerated

A certain bird found in Egypt that does not alight upon a tree without eating all its leaves.

Show Lane's original text

A certain bird [found] in Egypt, that does not alight upon a tree without eating all the leaves thereof. (K.)

Nounمسْفَنٌ1 sense

Core sense — an adz, or tool with which one pares and smoothsgenerated

See سَفَنٌ.

Show Lane's original text

: see سَفَنٌ .