اِسْتٌ

Full Definition

اِسْتٌ (S, Mgh, K, written with the conjunctive hemzeh, Msb in art. است) and سَتَهٌ and سَتْهٌ and سِتْهٌ signify the same, i. e. The podex, buttock or buttocks, posteriors, rump, or croup; and sometimes the anus; سَتَهٌ being the original form, as is shown by the pl., which is أَسْتَاهٌ; like جَمَلٌ and أَجْمَالٌ: it may not be [ سِتْهٌ and ] like جِذْعٌ and قُفْلٌ, of which the pls. are also of the measure أَفْعَالٌ, because, when you restore the ء which is the final radical, and reject the medial radical [which is ت], you say سَهٌ, with fet-h, which has both of the meanings expl. above, as also سُهٌ, but [SM says,] this last, mentioned by the author of the K, is strange, and I have not seen it on the authority of any one [else]: and some say سَتٌ, suppressing the final radical [of سَتَهٌ], i. e., without ه at the end and without hemzeh [or ا] at the beginning. [All are of the fem. gender.] It is said in a trad., العَيْنُ وِكَآءُ السَّهِ, or, as some relate it, السَّتِ, [The eye is the tie of the anus,] meaning that when one [closes the eye and] sleeps, the tie of the سَه becomes loosed, and the excrement and wind issue. And أَبُو الأَسْتَاهِ means He who has large posteriors. بِٱسْتِ فُلَانٍ is a phrase of the Arabs significant of reviling; said when holding one in contempt; meaning لَصِقَ العَارُ بِٱسْتِ فُلَانٍ [May disgrace cleave to the است of such a one]. And يَا ٱبْنَ ٱسْتِهَا [O son of her است], a prov. of the Arabs, is an allusion to one's father's إِحْمَاض [see 2 in art. حمض] of the former's mother; and is said to mean أَنَّهُ وُلِدَ مِنِ ٱسْتِهَا: and the Arabs called the sons of the female slave بَنُو ٱسْتِهَا. And one says to a man who is deemed abject and weak, اِسْتُ أُمِّكَ أَضْيَقُ [lit. Thy mother's است is too contracted], and اِسْتُكَ أَضْيَقُ مِنْ أَنْ تَفْعَلَ كَذَا وَ كَذَا [Thine است is too contracted, meaning thine ability is too small, for thy doing such and such things]: and أَنْتُمْ أَضْيَقُ أَسْتَاهًا مِنْ أَنْ تَفْعَلُوهُ [in like manner] is an allusion to inability [meaning Ye are unable to do it]. The saying of a poet, وَ أَنْتَ مَكَانُكَ مِنْ وَائِلٍ مَكَانُ القُرَادِ مِنِ ٱسْتِ الجَمَلْ [And thou, thy place in the tribe of Wáïl is like the place of the tick in the rump of the camel,] is tropical; for they do not [properly] say اِسْتُ الجَمَلِ, but عَجُزُ الجَمَلِ. One says also to a man who is deemed low, or base, أَنْتَ الاِسْتُ السُّفْلَى, and انت السبَّهُ السُّفْلَى, meaning Thou art among others in the condition of the است of mankind: and of low, or base, men, one says, هٰؤُلَآءِ الأَسْتَاهُ; and of such as are excellent, هٰؤُلَآءِ الأَعْيَانُ, and الوُجُوهُ. And one says, لَقِيتُ مِنْهُ ٱسْتَ الكَلْبَةِ, a prov., meaning I experienced from him, or it, what I disliked, or hated. And اِسْتُ البَائِنِ أَعْرَفُ, or أَعْلَمُ: see art. بين. And مَا لَكَ ٱسْتٌ مَعِ ٱسْتِكَ Thou hast no one [with thee] to assist thee: another prov., related on the authority of AZ as said to one who has no large amount of property, nor number of men. And تَرَكْتُهُ بِٱسْتِ الأَرْضِ, another prov., meaning I left him destitute, poor, possessing nothing: or تَرَكْتُهُ بِٱسْتِ المَتْنِ I left him on the hard ground, alone. And مَا لَكَ فِى هٰذَا الأَمْرِ ٱسْتٌ وَ لَا فَمٌ Thou hast not in this thing, or affair, root nor branch: Jereer says, فَمَا لَكُمُ ٱسْتٌ فِى العَلَآءِ وَ لَآ فَمُ [And ye have not any root in eminence, nor branch]. And كَانَ ذٰلِكَ عَلَى ٱسْتِ الدَّهْرِ That was in the beginning of time: or in the olden time; as also عَلَى إِسِّ الدَّهْرِ. See also art. است. [And see other exs. in Freytag's Arab. Prov. i. 355 and 378 and 607 and 622 and 729-730.]

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