حَلْفَآء

Full Definition

حَلْفَآء [app. حَلْفَآءٌ accord. to some, and حَلْفَآءٌ accord. to others, (in the CK, erroneously, حُلَفاء,)], in measure like حَمْرَآء, [and if so, حَلْفَآءُ, but see what follows,] and حَلَفٌ , [A kind of high, coarse grass; called by the botanists poa multiflora, and poa cynosuroïdes;] a certain plant, [growing] in water, well known, of those termed أَغْلَاث: Aboo-Ziyád says of the حلفاء that it seldom grows anywhere but near to water or to the bottom of a valley; and is long, or tall, (سلبة,) rough to the touch; seldom, or never, does any one lay hold upon it, for fear of his hand being cut; sometimes camels and sheep or goats eat a little of it; and it is much liked by oxen: [a coll. gen. n.:] n. un. حَلَفَةٌ , accord. to AZ, or Aboo-Ziyád, and AHn, and حَلِفَةٌ , accord. to As, and حَلْفَآءَةٌ, like صَحْرَآءَةٌ: (K: [in the CK like صَحْرَةٌ, and omitted in my copy of the TA:]) [this last n. un. requires that the coll. gen. n. should be حَلْفَآءٌ: but] Sb says that حلفاء is sing. and pl.: [see شَجَرٌ:] [as pl., it is fem.; and it is made fem. in the description by Aboo-Ziyád, cited above:] sometimes it has حَلَافِىُّ for pl.: and its dim. is . أَنَا الَّذِي فِى الحَلْفَآءِ, occurring in a trad., means I am the lion; because that beast repairs to the places where the حلفاء grows: and [hence,] كَأَنَّهُ أَخُو الحَلْفَآءِ means As though he were the lion.

def.2 حَلْفَآءُ also signifies A clamorous female slave: pl. حُلُفٌ.

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Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon

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