رَبْعٌ

Full Definition

رَبْعٌ A place where people remain, abide, or dwell, in the [season called] رَبِيع; as also مَرْبَعٌ , and مُرْتَبَعٌ : this is the primary signification: and hence, a place of alighting or abode, of a people, or company of men; a settled place of abode; a place of constant residence; a dwelling; a home; whenever and wherever it be; as also مَرْبَعٌ , and مُرْتَبَعٌ : and a house, wherever it be: [in Egypt, a range of distinct lodgings over shops or magazines, separate from the shops or magazines, but generally having one common entrance and staircase:] pl. [of mult.] رِبَاعٌ and رُبُوعٌ and [of pauc.] أَرْبَاعٌ and أَرْبُعٌ: and the pl. of مَرْبَعٌ is مَرَابِعُ. You say, مَا أَوْسَعَ رَبْعَ بَنِى فُلَانٍ How ample, or spacious, is the place of alighting, or abode, of the sons of such a one!
2 Hence, also, The people of a place of alighting or abode; the people of a house or tent: a company of men or people: a large number: pl. as above: رُبُوعٌ signifies the people of places of alighting or abode: and also tribes. You say, أَكَثَرَ ٱللّٰهُ رَبْعَكَ May God multiply the people of thy house or tent. And هُمُ اليَوْمَ رَبْعٌ They now, or to-day, [are a large number; or] have become many, and have increased.
3 [Hence, also,] A bier; or a bier with a corpse upon it; syn. نَعْشٌ. (K, TA: [in the CK نَفْس.]) So in the saying, حَمَلْتُ رَبْعَهُ [I bore, or carried, his bier, or his bier with his corpse upon it].
4 The extremity of a mountain. [App. because travellers often stop and rest there.]

def.2 Also i. q. رَبْعَةٌ , which signifies, as also رَبَعَةٌ , and مَرْبُوعٌ , or الخَلْقِ, and مُرْتَبِعٌ , and مُرْتَبَعٌ , and مِرْبَاعٌ , applied to a man, Of middling stature; neither tall nor short; between tall and short: and so, applied to a woman, رَبْعَةٌ and رَبَعَةٌ , though originally applied to a man, like خَمْسَةٌ &c.: the pl. of رَبْعٌ is رَبْعُونَ: and that of رَبْعَةٌ is رَبَعَاتٌ, applied to men and to women, and رَبْعَاتٌ also; the former of these two pls. being anomalous, because a word of the measure فَعْلَةٌ has not its medial radical movent when it is an epithet, but only when it is a subst. and has not و or ي for that radical; or the medial radical is movent in this instance because رَبْعَةٌ is originally a fem. subst. applied to a male and a female, and used as an epithet; or because it resembles a subst. in its being applied alike to a man and a woman.

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