Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon

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رِكَابٌ

Root: ركب

Full Definition

رِكَابٌ [Travelling-camels, used for riding; i. e.] camels upon which people journey; i. q. مَطِىٌّ: or camels fit for carrying: it has no proper sing.: the word used for the sing. is رَاحِلَةٌ: or, as ISh says, in the “ Book of Camels, ” رِكَابٌ and عِيرٌ are applied to camels that go forth for corn (طَعَام) to be brought back upon them, both when they go forth and after they have come back: and the former term is applied also to camels upon which people journey to Mekkeh, on which مَحَامِل are borne: and hired [or other] camels that carry the goods and corn of merchants: but camels are not called عير, though bearing corn, [unless] if hired: [I insert the words “ or other ” and “ unless ” because it is further said,] عير are not those that bring corn for their owners; but these are called رِكَابٌ: the pl. is رُكُبٌ, accord. to A'Obeyd, and رِكَابَاتٌ and رَكَائِبُ; or, accord. to IAar, رُكُبٌ is not pl. of رِكَابٌ; and others say that it is pl. of رَكُوبٌ , signifying any beast on which one rides, [an epithet] of the measure فَعُولٌ in the sense of the measure مَفْعُولٌ; but called by ISd a subst.; (TA voce جَزُوزٌ;) and رَكُوبَةٌ is a more special term than رَكُوبٌ.
2 [Hence,] رِكَابُ السَّحَابِ [The bearers of the clouds; i. e.] the winds. Umeiyeh says, تَرَدَّدُ وَالرِّيَاحُ لَهَا رِكَابُ [It goes to and fro (تَرَدَّد being for تَتَرَدَّدُ), the winds being its bearers].

def.2 Also [The stirrup of a horse's saddle;] a well-known appertenance of a horse's saddle; the same with respect to a horse's saddle as the غَرْز with respect to a camel's: pl. رُكُبٌ.
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