عِلْبَآءٌ

Full Definition

عِلْبَآءٌ [perfectly decl., because the ء is a letter of quasi-coordination, i. e., added to render the word quasi-coordinate to the class of قِرْطَاسٌ and the like,] The عَصَب of the neck; [app. meaning the upper, cervical, tendinous portion of the trapezius muscle;] (S, O, K; [in all of which, mention is made of the علبآء of the camel, to which it seems to be most commonly applied, and also to that of a man;]) it is one of a pair, and between one علبآء and the other is the place of growth of the mane; Az explains it as specially applied to the thick عَصَب; and IAth, as the عَصَب in the neck, extending to the كَاهِل [or part between the two shoulder-blades]: ISd says that it is syn. with عَقَبٌ [q. v.]: [it is also said that] it signifies the عَصَبَة [i. e. tendon, or sinew,] that extends in the neck: or the yellow عَصَبَة in the side (صَفْحَة) of the neck; one of a pair: and the عِلْبَاوَانِ in a man are [said to be] the two yellow tendons or sinews (العَصَبَتَانِ الصَّفْرَاوَانِ) in the مَتْن [or part next the spine, on either side,] of the neck: [but of all the meanings thus assigned to it, the first seems to be the most proper, or at least the most usual: see Q. Q. 1:] the Arabs used to bind therewith, in the fresh, or moist, state, the أَجْفَان [or sheaths] of their swords, and also their spears when cracked, and it dried upon them, and became strong: the word is masc., or [it is masc. and fem., but] the making it fem. is preferred [though this is contr. to analogy]: the dual is عِلْبَاوَانِ and عِلْبَا آنِ; [the former app. the more common, but the latter the more proper;] for the ء [in the sing.] is a letter of quasi-coordination [and therefore properly with tenween]; but if you will, you may liken it to the fem. ء that is in حَمْرَآءُ [of which the dual is more properly حَمْرَاوَانِ], or to the radical ء [or rather the ء that is substituted for the last radical letter] in كِسَآءٌ [of which the dual is more pro- perly كِسَا آنِ]: and the pl. is عَلَابِىُّ. You say of a man when he has become advanced in age, تَشَنَّجَ عِلْبَآءُ الرَّجُلِ [The علبآء of the man has become contracted].
2 The pl. عَلَابِىُّ is expl. in the K as signifying also Lead: and in the S as signifying lead, or a kind thereof: El-Kutabee says, “ I have been told that العَلَابِىُّ signifies lead; but I am not sure of it: ” and Az says, “ I know not any one who has said it, and it is not true; ” and this is the case: MF observes that its explanation as signifying lead requires it to be a sing. of a pl. form, or a pl. that has no sing., like أَبَابِيلُ and عَبَادِيدُ: in a trad., mention is made of swords of which the ornaments were العلابىّ and الآنُك; and the coupling of these two words together has led to the supposition that the former means lead; but there is no evading the fact that it is the pl. of علبَآء meaning the عَصَب of the camel.

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