Core sense — the mouth; perfume, or an odoriferous substancegenerated
1the mouth—فَاهٌ
the mouth—فِيهٌ
The copies of the K give فُوهَةٌ [or, as in the CK, فَوْهَة], but the correct forms are those that follow.
the mouth—فُوَّهَةٌ
the mouth—فَمٌ
The plural is أَفْوَاهٌ. As a plural of فُوهٌ its formation is plain; as a plural of فِيهٌ it is like أَرْوَاحٌ as plural of رِيحٌ; as a plural of فَاهٌ it is allowable, since it has و for its original medial radical; but as a plural of فُوَّهَةٌ it is irregular.
Another plural is أَفْمَامٌ, said by some to be the plural of فُمٌّ, or of فَمٌّ with teshdeed, of which an example occurs in a verse cited in the first paragraph of art. فم; but some disallow this plural.
According to some it has no singular formed by rule, for فَمٌ is originally فَوَهٌ, with the و given fet-h, or [فَوْهٌ, as in some copies of the S] with the و sākin, on the authority of IJ; the ه is dropped, and the و becomes a final letter with a vowel, so it must be changed into ا because of the fet-hah before it, and the word becomes فا.
But a noun may not consist of two letters one of which is [the ن of] the tenween — so the passage runs in the M, though MF remarks that we should rather say one of which is the ا; and therefore a hard letter of the same kind is put in its place, namely م, for both are labials, and in the م there is a sort of humming sound in the mouth, [or rather in the nose,] like the drawing out of the و.
Several similar discussions added in the TA about the change from فوه to فم I omit as needless; what is said on this subject in the S, in art. فم, I have mentioned in that article.
In the present article J says that the م of فم is a substitute for the ه, not for the و of فوه; but this is a mistake.
The dual of فَمٌ is فَمَانِ and فَمَوَانِ and فَمَيَانِ, the second and third of which are irregular. Of the second, which occurs in a verse of El-Farezdak [about which see the first paragraph of art. فم], Sb says that it is used by poetic licence.
In using it as a prefixed noun, in the phrase هٰذَا فُوهُهُ, they found the two ه s hard to pronounce together; so they dropped the radical ه [in this case, and then in other like cases] and said هٰذَا فُوهُ and فُو زَيْدٍ and رَأَيْتُ فَا زَيْدٍ and مَرَرْتُ بِفِى زَيْدٍ.
When prefixing it to the pronoun of the first person you say هٰذَا فِىَّ, and you do this alike in the nominative, the accusative and the genitive, because the و [of فُو] is changed into ى and is then assimilated [into the pronominal ى].
Sometimes, though rarely, they did the like in other cases, when not prefixing it: for instance فَا occurs at the end of a verse of El-'Ajjáj, with no affix, standing here for فَاهَا.
1.1I spoke to him, his mouth being near to my mouth—كَلَّمْتُهُ فَاهُ إِلَى فِىَّ
فاه is in the accusative case as a denotative of state; or because of an understood derivative [مُكَلِّمًا].
Or, as Sb says, it is one of the nouns that are put in the place of a maṣdar, and it is not to be separated from what should follow it, so that you may not say كَلَّمْتُهُ فَاهَ by itself, for you are telling of your nearness to the person and that there is no one between you and him.
If you wish, you may use the nominative case, meaning وَهٰذِهِ حَالُهُ [this being his state], that is, فُوهُ إِلَى فِىَّ [his mouth was near to my mouth], the clause [following كلّمته] standing in the place of a denotative of state.
1.2figurative · مجاز — inferredMay God make the mouth of misfortune cleave to your mouth—فَاهَا لِفِيكَ
A proverb (Meyd). Literally it says only: her, or its, mouth to your mouth; and it is likewise one of the nouns used in the manner of a maṣdar in an imprecation, the verb not being mentioned.
Sb says that فاها is without tenween, meaning فَا الدَّاهِيَةِ, as is shown by the saying:
shāhid 1وَدَاهِيَةٍ مِنْ دَوَاهِى المَنُونِ يَرْهَبُهَا النَّاسُ لَا فَا لَهَا
[Many a misfortune is there, of the misfortunes of time, which men fear, that has no mouth to bite with].
A'Obeyd says that its primary meaning is: may God put the ground in your mouth; that it is like the sayings بِفِيكَ الحَجَرُ and بِفِيكَ الأَثْلَبُ; and hence it means disappointment cleave to you.
A man of Belhujeym, cited by A'Obeyd, addressing a wolf that sought to get his she-camel, says:
shāhid 2فَقُلْتُ لَهُ فَاهَا لِفِيكَ فَإِنَّهَاقَلُوصُ ٱمْرِئٍ قَارِيكَ مَا أَنْتَ حَاذِرُهُ
[And I said to him, فاها لفيك, for she is the youthful she-camel of a man who will entertain you as a guest with what you fear] — that is, with the shooting of arrows. In the S, as IB has observed, فَإِنَّهُ is wrongly put for فَإِنَّهَا. By قَارِيكَ he means يَقْرِيكَ, from قِرَى الضَّيْفِ.
It is also said that فَاهَا is used metonymically for the dust of the earth, which is called the mouth of the earth because it drinks the water; so the saying would mean: dust be in your mouth. (Meyd)
Sh is reported to have said: I heard IAar say فَاهًا لِفِيكَ, with tenween, meaning may God make your mouth cleave to the ground [or rather, ground to your mouth; literally, simply, a mouth to your mouth]. And some say فَاهَا لِفِيكَ, without tenween, as an imprecation meaning may God break your فَم [i.e. your teeth, to which فَم is often applied metonymically, as is also فُوه].
1.3figurative · مجازSuch a one drew water for his camels when they came to it, while they were drinking—سَقَى فُلَانٌ إِبِلَهُ عَلَى أَفْوَاهِهَا
Such a one let his camels pasture while going along—جَرَّ فُلَانٌ إِبِلَهُ عَلَى أَفْوَاهِهَا
He had not stored it up for them in the drinking-trough.
That is, by driving them gently: see art. جر. So says As, and so it is in the A and other lexicons; but the author of the K, by an omission, has assigned this explanation to the former phrase.
1.4
لَوْ وَجَدْتُ إِلَيْهِ فَا كَرِشٍ, meaning أَدْنَى طَرِيقٍ, has been explained, with other similar phrases, in art. كرش.
1.5a name given to one whose breath stinks—فُو فَرَسٍ حَمِرٍ
Literally, mouth of a horse suffering indigestion from having eaten barley and so made it stink. An example occurs in a verse of Imra-el-Keys cited in the TA in art. حمر, as in Ahlwardt's “Divans of the Six Ancient Arabic Poets,” p. 125; and differently in De Slane's “Diwan d'Amro-'kaïs,” p. 36 of the Arabic text.
1.6a nickname for a little man—فُو جُرَدٍ
a nickname for a little man—فُو دَبًا
Literally, mouth of a large field-rat.
Literally, mouth of a sort of small wingless locust; or perhaps correctly فُو دَبَاةٍ, mouth of a small wingless locust.
1.7figurative · مجاز — inferredMay his teeth, or front teeth, not be broken—لَا فُضُّ فُوهُ
his teeth fell out—سَقَطَ فُوهُ
See the TA in art. فض.
1.8figurative · مجاز — inferredhe died upon his face, prone—مَاتَ لِفِيهِ
That is, لِوَجْهِهِ; like سَقَطَ لِوَجْهِهِ, he fell upon his face — the ل in both being used in the sense of عَلَى, as it is in the phrase خَرُّوا لِأَذْقَانِهِمْ (explained in art. خر), and so on.
The explanation in the TK, though correct, is somewhat ambiguous, and has misled Freytag here.
May God cause him to die; or prostrate him upon his face—كبَّهُ ٱللّٰهُ لِفِيهِ
Here too لِ is used in the sense of على. One of their forms of imprecation; كَبَّهُ لِوَجْهِهِ is used in the same way.
1.9
See also فُوَّهَةٌ, which is synonymous with فُوهٌ and, like it, has أَفْوَاهٌ for a plural.
2perfume, or an odoriferous substance—فُوهٌ
Its plural is أَفْوَاهٌ, and the plural of that plural is أَفَاوِيهُ, which last occurs very often.
Or a thing, or substance, with which a perfume, or an odoriferous substance, is compounded or prepared, just as تَوَابِلُ means the substances with which sorts of food are compounded or prepared.
Or the تَوَابِل [or seeds used in cooking] with which food is compounded or prepared are also called أَفْوَاهُ الطِّيبِ. [The plural, and the plural of the plural, are now generally applied to spices, or aromatics.]
Or الأَفْوَاهُ, the plural mentioned above, means [the seeds called] التَّوَابِلُ, and also those perfumes, or odoriferous substances, that give off fragrance. [I read نَوَافِحُ, as in my MS. copy of the K, plural of نَافِحٌ, instead of نَوَافِجُ, the only reading that I find in other copies of the K, which I regard as certainly a mistranscription.]
And the sorts, or species, of flowers; so says AHn, who in one place says that الافواح means what is prepared for perfume, of sweet-smelling flowers, and that these are sometimes of herbs, or leguminous plants. It also means the sorts, or species, of a thing [apparently of any kind].
it is of the sorts, and of the mixtures, of perfume and of herbs—هُوَ مِنْ أَفْوَاهِ الطيب
it is of the sorts, and of the mixtures, of perfume and of herbs—أَفْوَاهِ البُقُولِ
But فُوهٌ is not applied to anything that is termed عَقَّارٌ.
Show Lane's original text
and فَاهٌ and فِيهٌ (K, TA) and, accord. to the copies of the K, فُوهَةٌ , [or, as in the CK, فَوْهَة ,] but correctly فُوَّهَةٌ , (TA,) and فَمٌ , all signify the same [i. e. The mouth]: (K, TA:) the pl. is أَفْوَاهٌ , (S, K, TA,) pl. of فُوهٌ , (S, TA,) and as such its case is plain; as pl. of فِيهٌ , it is like أَرْوَاحٌ as pl. of رِيحٌ ; as pl of فَاهٌ , it is allowable as having و for its original medial radical; but as pl. of فُوَّهَةٌ , it is anomalous: (TA:) and another pl. is أَفْمَامٌ , (K, TA,) said by some to be pl. of فُمٌّ or فَمٌّ , with teshdeed, of which an ex. occurs in a verse cited in the first paragraph of art. فم ; but some disallow this pl.; and accord. to some, (TA,) it has no sing. (K, TA) agreeable with rule, (TA,) for فَمٌ is originally فَوَهٌ , (K, TA,) with the و movent by fet-h, or [ فَوْهٌ , as in some copies of the S,] with the و quiescent, on the authority of IJ; (TA;) the ه is elided, and the و becomes a movent final, therefore it must be changed into ا , because of the fet-hah preceding it, so the word becomes فا ; but a noun may not be of two letters whereof one is [the ن of] the tenween, (K, TA,) thus the passage is expressed in the M, but MF remarks that correctly we should say whereof one is the ا , (TA,) and therefore a hard letter is substituted for it, one similar to it in kind, which is م , for they are both labials, and in the م is a sort of humming sound ( هَوِىٌّ , in the CK هُوِىٌّ ,) in the mouth, [or rather in the nose,] resembling [the sound of] the prolongation of the و : (K, TA:) [several similar disquisitions, added in the TA, respecting the change from فوه to فم , I omit, regarding them as needless: what is said on this subject in the S, in art. فم , I have mentioned in that art.:] in the present art., J says that the م of فم is a substitute for the ه , not for the و , of فوه ; but this is a mistake: (IB, TA:) the dual of فَمٌ is فَمَانِ and فَمَوَانِ (IAar, S, Msb, K) and فَمَيَانِ , the second and third of which are anomalous: (IAar, K:) of the second, which occurs in a verse of ElFarezdak, [and respecting which see the first paragraph of art. فم ,] Sb says that it is used by poetic license. (TA.) In using it as a prefixed noun, in the phrase هٰذَا فُوهُهُ , they deemed the combination of the two ه s difficult in respect of utterance; therefore they suppressed the [radical] ه thereof [in this case, and then in other, similar, cases], and said, هٰذَا فُوهُ , and فُو زَيْدٍ , and رَأَيْتُ فَا زَيْدٍ , and مَرَرْتُ بِفِى زَيْدٍ : and when prefixing it to [the pronoun denoting] thyself, thou sayest, هٰذَا فِىَّ ; and this thou dost alike in using it in the nom. case and in the accus. and in the gen., because the و [of فُو ] is changed into ى and is then incorporated [into the pronominal ى ]: (S, and the like is said in the Msb:) and sometimes, though rarely, they did the like in other cases, when not prefixing it; for instance, فَا occurs at the end of a verse of El-'Ajjáj, without an affix, in this case for فَاهَا . (S.) In the saying كَلَّمْتُهُ فَاهُ إِلَى فِىَّ , meaning I spoke to him, his mouth being near to my mouth, فاه is in the accus. case as a denotative of state: (S, TA: *) or by reason of the derivative [ مُكَلِّمًا ] meant to be understood: or, as Sb says, it is an instance of one of the nouns that are put in the place of inf. ns., and it is not to be separated from what should follow it, so that you may not say كَلَّمْتُهُ فَاهَ [alone], for you tell of your nearness to the person, and that there is not any one between you and him: and if you will, you may use the nom. case, meaning وَهٰذِهِ حَالُهُ [this being his state], (Sb, TA,) i. e. فُوهُ إِلَى فِىَّ [his mouth was near to my mouth], the clause [following كلّمته ] occupying the place of a denotative of state. (TA.) The saying فَاهَا لِفِيكَ , (Meyd, K, TA,) which is a prov., (Meyd, TA,) means May God make the mouth of misfortune to cleave to thy mouth; (Meyd, K, * TA;) [but lit. signifies, only, her, or its, mouth to thy mouth; and is [likewise] an instance of one of the nouns that are used in the manner of inf. ns. expressive of imprecation, by reason of a verb not mentioned: Sb says, فاها is without tenween, meaning فَا الدَّاهِيَةِ , as is shown by the saying, 1 [Many a misfortune is there, of the misfortunes of time, which men fear, that has no mouth, wherewith to bite]: (Sb, TA:) A'Obeyd says that its primary meaning is, may God make the ground to be in thy mouth; that it is like the sayings بِفِيكَ الحَجَرُ and بِفِيكَ الأَثْلَبُ ; (S, Meyd;) and [hence] it means disappointment [cleave] to thee: (S, * Meyd:) a man of Belhujeym, (S, Meyd,) cited by A'Obeyd, (S,) addressing a wolf that sought to get his she-camel, (Meyd,) says, 2 [And I said to him, فاها لفيك , for she is the youthful she-camel of a man who will give thee as a guest's entertainment that which thou fearest]; (S, Meyd; but in the S, as IB has observed, فَإِنَّهُ is erroneously put for فَإِنَّهَا ;) i. e. [who will entertain thee with] the shooting of arrows; (Meyd;) [by قَارِيكَ ] he means يَقْرِيكَ , from قِرَى الضَّيْفِ : (S:) it is also said that فَاهَا is metonymically used as meaning the dust of the earth, which is termed the mouth of the earth because it drinks the water; and it is as though the saying meant the dust be in thy mouth: (Meyd:) Sh is related to have said, I heard IAar say فَاهًا لِفِيكَ , with tenween, meaning may God make thy mouth to cleave to the ground; [or rather, ground to thy mouth; lit., simply, a mouth to thy mouth;] and some say فَاهَا لِفِيكَ , without tenween, as an imprecation meaning may God break thy فَم [i. e. thy teeth, to which فَم is often metonymically applied, as is also فُوه ]. (TA.) وَدَاهِيَةٍ مِنْ دَوَاهِى المَنُو | نِ يَرْهَبُهَا النَّاسُ لَا فَا لَهَا فَقُلْتُ لَهُ فَاهَا لِفِيكَ فَإِنَّهَا | قَلُوصُ ٱمْرِئٍ قَارِيكَ مَا أَنْتَ حَاذِرُهُ One says also, سَقَى فُلَانٌ إِبِلَهُ عَلَى أَفْوَاهِهَا , meaning Such a one drew for his camels the water when they came to it, while they were drinking; not having stored it for them in the drinking-trough: and جَرَّ فُلَانٌ إِبِلَهُ عَلَى أَفْوَاهِهَا Such a one suffered his camels to pasture while going along [by his driving them gently: see art. جر ]: so says As: and so accord. to the A and other lexicons; but the author of the K, by an omission, has assigned the latter explanation to the former phrase. (TA.) لَوْ وَجَدْتُ إِلَيْهِ فَا كَرِشٍ , meaning أَدْنَى طَرِيقٍ , (K, TA,) has [with other, similar, phrases] been explained in art. كرش [q. v.]. (TA.) فُو فَرَسٍ حَمِرٍ [Mouth of a horse that is suffering indigestion in consequence of his having eaten barley and so made it to stink] is an appellation applied to him who has stinking breath. (TA. [An ex. of it occurs in a verse of Imra-el-keys cited in the TA in art. حمر as in Ahlwardt's “ Divans of the Six Ancient Arabic Poets, ” p. 125; and differently in De Slane's “ Diwan d'Amro-'kaïs, ” p. 36 of the Arabic text.]) And فُو جُرَدٍ [Mouth of a large fieldrat] and فُو دَبًا [Mouth of a sort of small wingless locust, or perhaps correctly فُو دَبَاةٍ mouth of a small wingless locust,] are nicknames applied to a little man. (TA.) One says also, لَا فُضُّ فُوهُ , meaning May his teeth, or front teeth, not be broken. (K, * TA.) And سَقَطَ فُوهُ His teeth fell out. (TA in art. فض [q. v.]) And مَاتَ لِفِيهِ i. e. لِوَجْهِهِ [meaning He died upon his face; prone: like سَقَطَ لِوَجْهِهِ He fell upon his face: the ل in both being used in the sense of عَلَى ; as it is in the phrase خَرُّوا لِأَذْقَانِهِمْ (expl. in art. خر ), &c.]. (A, K, TA. [The explanation in the TK, being somewhat ambiguous (though correct), has misled Freytag in this case.]) And [in like manner, using لِ in the sense of على ,] كبَّهُ ٱللّٰهُ لِفِيهِ , one of their forms of imprecation, meaning May God cause him to die: or prostrate him [upon his face; as also كَبَّهُ لِوَجْهِهِ ]. (TA.) [See also فُوَّهَةٌ as syn. with فُوهٌ ; like which it has أَفْوَاهٌ for a pl.] فُوهٌ also, having for its pl. أَفْوَاهٌ , and pl. pl. أَفَاوِيهُ , (S, Mgh, Msb, K,) [which last is of very frequent occurrence,] signifies Perfume, or an odoriferous substance: (Mgh, Msb:) or a thing, or substance, with which a perfume, or an odoriferous substance, is compounded or prepared ( يُعَالَجُ ); like as تَوَابِلُ signifies things, or substances, with which sorts of food are compounded or prepared: (S, Mgh:) or the تَوَابِل [or seeds used in cooking] with which food is compounded or prepared ( يُعَالَجُ ) are also called أَفْوَاهُ الطِّيبِ : (Msb:) [the pl. and pl. pl. are now generally applied to spices, or aromatics:] or الأَفْوَاهُ , the pl. mentioned above, signifies [the seeds called] التَّوَابِلُ : and also what diffuse fragrance [I read نَوَافِحُ , as in my MS. copy of the K, pl. of نَافِحٌ , q. v., instead of نَوَافِجُ (with جِيم ), the only reading that I find in other copies of the K, regarding the latter as indubitably a mistranscription,] of perfumes, or odoriferous substances: (K:) and the sorts, or species, of flowers; (K, TA;) thus says AHn; and in one place he says that الافواح signifies what are prepared for perfume, of sweetsmelling flowers; and sometimes they are of herbs, or leguminous plants: (TA:) and also sorts, or species, of a thing [app. of any kind]: (K:) and one says, هُوَ مِنْ أَفْوَاهِ الطيب , and أَفْوَاهِ البُقُولِ , meaning It is of the sorts, or species, and of the mixtures, or compounds, of perfume, and of herbs, or leguminous plants: (Mgh:) but فُوهٌ is not applied to anything that is termed عَقَّارٌ . (AHeyth, TA in art. عقر .)