رَاوِيَةٌ

Full Definition

رَاوِيَةٌ A camel, or a mule, or an ass, upon which water is drawn: (A 'Obeyd, T, S, K: [see سَانِيَةٌ:]) or a camel that carries water; and then applied to any beast upon which water is drawn: [but it is disputed whether this be the primary or proper signification, or whether it be secondary or tropical, as will be shown by what follows:] and also a man who draws water for his family: the ة is affixed [لِلنَّقْلِ, i. e. for the purpose of transferring the word from the category of epithets to that of substantives; or] to give intensiveness to the signification: pl. رَوَايَا [by rule رَوَآءٍ, being originally of the measure فَوَاعِلُ, not فَعَائِلُ]. Also A مَزَادَة [or leathern water-bag] composed of three skins, containing water; so called as being the receptacle in which is the water borne by the camel [thus called]; or the مزادة is thus termed by the vulgar, but this application of the word is allowable as metaphorical: or it signifies a pair of such water-bags (مَزَادَتَانِ [see مَزَادَةٌ in art. زيد]): [accord. to ISd,] it is applied to the مزادة, and then to the camel, because of the nearness of the latter to the former: or its primary application is to the camel: accord. to some, its application to the camel is proper; and to the مزادة, tropical: accord. to others, the reverse is the case: the pl. is رَوَايَا, as above.
2 One says of a weak person who is in easy circumstances, مَا يَرُدُّ الرَّاوِيَةَ, meaning He is unable to turn back the راوية [or camel bearing a water-bag or pair of water-bags,] notwithstanding its being heavily burdened by the water that is upon it.
3 And the Prophet applied the appellation رَوَايَا البِلَادِ [The camels bearing water for the irrigation of the countries, or the water-bags borne by camels for the irrigation of the countries,] to the clouds, by way of comparison.
4 رَوَايَا is also applied as an appellation to The chiefs of a people; as pl. of رَاوِيَةٌ; the chief who bears the burden of the bloodwits owed by the tribe being likened to the camel thus termed. A Temeemee, mentioning a party that had attacked his tribe, said, لَقِينَاهُمْ فَقَتَلْنَا الرَّوَايَا وَ أَبَحْنَا الزَّوَايَا meaning [We encountered them, and] we slew the chiefs, and gave permission to occupy, or to plunder, the houses, or tents.
5 رَوَايَا also occurs in a trad., in which it is said, شَرُّ الرَّوَايَا رَوَايَا الكَذِبِ, and accord. to some, it is, in this instance, pl. of رَاوِيَةٌ in the first of the senses explained above; so that the meaning is, The worst of those who carry tidings are those who carry false tidings; such persons being likened to the beasts so called, in respect of the fatigue that they undergo: or it is pl. of رَوِيَّةٌ ; and the meaning is, the worst of thoughts are those that are untrue, not right, nor tending to good: or it is pl. of رِوَايَةٌ ; and the meaning is, the worst of relations, or recitals, are those that are untrue.
6 See also رَاوٍ.

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