الفَلَكُ

Full Definition

الفَلَكُ The place of the revolving of the stars; [the celestial sphere: but generally imagined by the Arabs to be a material concave hemisphere; so that it may be termed the vault of heaven; or the firmament:] the astronomers say that it is [a term applied to every one, by itself, of] seven أَطْوَاق [by which they mean surrounding spheres], exclusive of the سَمَآء [or sky, as meaning the region of the clouds]; wherein have been set the seven stars [i. e. the Moon, Mercury, Venus, the Sun, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn], in every طَوْق [or surrounding sphere] a star, some being higher than others; revolving therein: [it is also commonly imagined that above these is an eighth sphere, called by the astronomers فَلَكُ الثَّوَابِتِ , and by others فَلَكُ الكُرْسِىِّ; and above this, a ninth, called فَلَكُ الأَطْلَسِ and فَلَكُ العَرْشِ, and also called الأَثِيرُ :] the pl. is أَفْلَاكٌ [a pl. of pauc.] and فُلُكٌ and فُلْكٌ may be another pl., like as أُسْدٌ and خُشُبٌ are pls. of أَسَدٌ and خَشَبٌ (S, O, TA. [Thus accord. to both of my copies of the S, as well as the O and TA: but it may be that أُسْدٌ and خُشْبٌ are mistranscriptions for أُسُدٌ and خُشُبٌ; and therefore that for فُلْكٌ (which is not mentioned as a pl. of فَلَكٌ in the K) we should read فُلُكٌ.]) And فَلَكُ السَّمآءِ signifies The pole of heaven; [generally the north celestial pole;] likened to the pivot, or axis, of the mill-stone.
2 Also (i. e. الفَلَكُ) The revolving of the heaven [or celestial sphere].
3 And فَلَكٌ signifies also The circuit, and main part, of any- thing.
4 And Waves of the sea in a state of commotion, circling, and going to and fro. This, or what is next mentioned, or the place of revolving of the stars, or the pole of heaven, is meant in a trad. where it is said of a horse smitten by the [evil] eye, that he was as though he were turning in a فَلَك. And Water put in motion by the wind, going to and fro, in a state of commotion: mentioned by Z.
5 Also A hill, or mound, of sand, having around it a wide expanse of land: or فَلَكٌ مِنَ الرَّمْلِ signifies rugged, round أَجْوِبَة [app. a pl. of جَوْبَة , and meaning depressed and clear places], of the sands, like [tracts of] what are termed كَذَّان [or soft stones resembling dry pieces of clay], hollowed out by the gazelles.
6 And Pieces of land, or of sand, having a circular form, and elevated above what is around them, with ruggedness and evenness; one whereof is termed فَلْكَةٌ , with the ل quiescent; pl. فِلَاكٌ; i. e. [this is pl. of فَلْكَةٌ,] like قَصْعَةٌ and قِصَاعٌ: in [the book entitled] El-Ghareeb ElMusannaf, [by Aboo-'Amr Esh-Sheybánee, we find] فَلَكَةٌ and فَلَكٌ, [each] بِالتَّحْرِيك; [accord. to which, فَلَكَةٌ is a n. un., and فَلَكٌ is a coll. gen. n.;] but in “ the Book ” of Sb, [agreeably with the K, we find] فَلْكَةٌ [as a sing.] and فَلَكٌ [as a quasi-pl. n.], like حَلْقَةٌ and حَلَقٌ.
7 See also فَلْكَةٌ, in two places.

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