Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon

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رَسَلٌ

Root: رسل

Full Definition

رَسَلٌ Camels: thus expl. by A'Obeyd, without any epithet: or a drove, or herd, or a distinct collection or number, of camels, and of sheep or goats, accord. to ISk from ten to twenty-five, or the رَسَل of the watering-trough is at least ten, and extending to twenty-five; and the word is masc. and fem.; and also of horses or horsemen; applied to a company of men as being likened to a drove, or herd, of camels: and also a distinct collection or number of any things: pl. أَرْسَالٌ. A rájiz says, يَا ذَائِدَيْهَا خَوِّصَا بِأَرْسَالْ وَلَا تَذُودَاهَا ذِيَادَ الضُّلَّالْ [O ye two drivers of them, water some before others, by droves, and drive them not with the driving of those who err from the right way]: i. e. bring near your camels some after some, and do not let them crowd upon the water-ing-trough. And one says, جَآءَتِ الإِبِلُ رَسَلًا The camels came [in a drove, or] following one another. And جَآءَتِ الخَيْلُ أَرْسَالًا, i. e. [The horses, or horsemen, came] in successive distinct companies. And جَاءُوا أَرْسَالًا They came in successive companies. وَقِيرٌ كَثِيرُ الرَّسَلِ قَلِيلُ الرِّسْلِ, occurring in a trad. relating to a drought, is said by IKt to mean [A collection of sheep or goats] of which many were sent to the pasture, i. e. many in number, but having little milk but the more probable explanation of كثير الرسل is that of El-'Odhree, who says that it means much dispersed in search of pasture: for the trad. relates that the camels had died, notwithstanding their ability to endure drought: how then should the sheep or goats be safe, and increase so as to become numerous?
2 Also Animals, or beasts, having milk.
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