أُثْفِيَّةٌ

Full Definition

أُثْفِيَّةٌ and إِثْفِيَّةٌ[the former of which is the more common, and this only I find in copies of the T,] The stone [which is one of the three] whereon the cooking-pot is placed: it is, with the Arabs, a stone like the head of a man: the pl. is أَثَافِيُّand أَثَافٍ; (T, S, [in which latter it is written differently in different copies, with the article prefixed, الأَثَافِيُّand الأَثَافِي, but in both manners in art. ثفى,] M, K;) the latter being allowable; or, accord. to Akh, the latter only is used by the Arabs; applied to the three stones mentioned above: (TA in art. سفع; &c.:) upon these the cooking-pot is set up; but what is of iron, having three legs, is not called اثفيّة, but مِنْصَبٌ; [and this is what is meant by أَثْفِيَّةٌ مِنْ حَدِيدٍin art. سفعin the K;] i. e. an iron trivet upon which a cooking-pot is set up. (TA in art. نصب.) أُثْفيَّةٌmay be of the measure فُعْلُويَةٌ[from اثف], and it may be of the measure أُفْعُولَةٌ[from ثفى; in either case originally أُثْفُويَةٌ]. ثَالِثَةُ الأَثَافِىsignifies The part, not detached, of a mountain; by the side of which, two pieces are put [for the cookingpot to be set thereon]. And hence the saying, رَمَاهُ اللّٰهُ بثَالِثَةِ, الأَثَافِي May God smite him with the mountain; meaning, with a calamity; (Th, TA, K in art. ثفى;) with a calamity like the mountain [in greatness]; for when they do not find the third of the اثافى, they rest the cooking-pot [partly] upon the mountain: (M, K, in art. ثفى:) or, with difficulties, or troubles, or calamities: or, with all evil; evils being likened to one اثفيّةafter another, and the third being the last: so says Aboo-Sa'eed: or, with the last of evil; and the last of everything hateful: or, with a great calamity. One says also, الأَثَافِى فُلَانٌ ثَالِثَةُ, meaning Such a one is the heaviest, most burdensome, or most troublesome, of the people.
2 [Hence also,] الأَثَافِىis a name applied to certain stars [accord. to Ideler, as mentioned by Freytag in his Lex., the stars σ and τ and υ Draconis] over against the head of the قِدْر; which is the name of certain stars disposed in a round form. [Also] a name given by the vulgar to [The three chief stars in the constellation called] الشَّلْيَاقُ[i. e. Lyra].
3 The sing., i. e. each of the two forms thereof, but written in the copies of the S with damm [only], (TA in art. ثفى,) or [only] the latter, with kesr, (M, and so in the K in art. ثفى,) also signifies A number, or a great number, (K, and so in the S in art. ثفى,) and a company, or congregated body, of men: pl. as above. You say, هُمْ عَلَيْهِ أُثْفِيَّةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ [They are against him one band]. And بَقِيَتْ مِنْ بَنِى فُلَانٍ أُثْفِيَّةٌ خَشْنَآءُ There remained of the sons of such a one a great number. (S in art. ثفى.)

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