قَابٌ

Full Definition

قَابٌ The portion, of a bow, that is between the part that is grasped by the hand and the curved extremity: to every bow there are قَابَانِ: or, accord. to El-Khafájee, it is [the space] between the string and the part that is grasped by the hand, of the bow; as also قِيبٌ : in the Kur [liii. 9], فَكَانَ قَابَ قَوْسَيْنِ accord. to some, is an inverted phrase, meaning فكان قَابَىْ قَوْسٍ [i. e. And he was at the distance of the measure of the two portions between the part that is grasped by the hand and each of the curved extremities of a bow]: [but] قَابٌ signifies also a measure, or space; and so قِيبٌ : one says, بَيْنَهُمَا قَابُ قَوْسٍ and قَوْسٍ, [Between them two is the measure of a bow], and likewise قَادُ قُوْسٍ and قِيدُ قَوْسٍ: and it is said that قَابَ قَوْسَيْنِ [in the case mentioned above] means at [the distance of] the length of two bows: or as Fr says, at [the distance of] the measure of two Arabian bows. [قابُ قَوْسٍ is also a term often used in astronomy to denote the distance between two stars; and seems to be syn. with ذِرَاعٌ as so used, thus meaning A cubit; which is the measure of each قاب of a bow, or nearly so.]

Lane's Lexicon — The most scholarly Arabic-English dictionary available

The product of over thirty years of unrelenting labor. A work of such unique greatness that to this day it remains supreme in the field of Arabic lexicography.

✓ Full text search • ✓ Root-based navigation
✓ Advanced filters • ✓ Mobile access

Go to LanesLexicon

Trusted by 1000+ researchers worldwide
Featured on Fons Vitae • Used by universities globally

Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon

Full Definition

Related Words from the Same Root

Verbs

Nouns