Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon

استشفّهُ

Root: شف

Form: 10

Full Definition

استشفّهُX , or استشفّ مَا وَرَآءَهُ, He saw what was behind it. [Thus the former signifies He saw through it: and it is used in this sense both properly and tropically.]
2 Hence the saying to the seller of cloths, اِسْتَشِفَّ هٰذَا الثَّوْبَ, [which may be rendered Look thou through this garment, or piece of cloth; but is expl. as] meaning make thou this garment, or piece of cloth, single, [by unfolding it,] and raise it, or hold it up, in shade, in order that I may see whether it be close in texture or flimsy.
3 استشفّ also signifies [agreeably with the explanation of استشفّ مَا وَرَآءَهُ mentioned above] He distinguished a thing plainly, like as one distinguishes plainly a thing behind glass.
4 And one says, كَتَبْتُ كِتَابًا فَٱسْتَشَفَّهُ, meaning [I wrote a letter, or writing, &c., and] he examined attentively what was in it.

def.2 See also 8.

def.3 And see 1, in two places.

def.4 [Freytag mentions as a signification of استشفّDesiderio alicujus rei implevit; ” with الى before the object: but he names no authority for this; and I doubt its correctness.]


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