تَوْءَمٌ

Full Definition

تَوْءَمٌ A twin; one of two young, and of more, brought forth at one birth, of any animals; whether a male or a female, or a male [brought forth] with a female; and تَوْءَمَةٌ is [also] applied to a female: it occurs in poetry contracted into تَوَمٌ: the pl. is تَوَائِمُ and تُؤَامٌ, the latter of which is of a rare form, not without parallels, said by some to be a quasi-pl. n., and by some to be originally [تِئَامٌ,] with kesr, but the assertion of these last is condemned by AHei; and تَوْءَمُونَ is allowable as applied to human beings: you say, هُوَ تَوْءَمُهُ [in the TA, erroneously, تُؤْمُهُ, with damm,] and and [in the CK تَيْئمُهُ] [meaning He is his twin-brother]: and هُمَا تَوْءَمَانِ and تَوْءَمٌ [They two are twin-brothers]: or تَوْءَمٌ applies only to one of the two; it is a mistake to say هُمَا تَوْءَمٌ and هُمَا زَوْجٌ: [but see زَوْجٌ:] Lth says that تَوْءَمٌ applies to two sons, or young ones, [born] together; and that one should not say هُمَا تَوْءَمَانِ, but هُمَا تَوْءَمٌ: this, however, is a mistake: correctly, as ISk and Fr say, تَوْءَمٌ applies to one, and تَوْءَمَانِ to two. It is of the measure فَوْعَلٌ, in the opinion of some, and originally وَوْءَمٌ, like as تَوْلَجٌ is originally وَوْلَجٌ; from الوِئَامُ, “ the being mutually near, ” “ mutually agreeing, ” “ being mutually conformable; ” so that it means one that agrees with, or matches, another,
2 It is metaphorically used in relation to all things resembling one another [so that it means One of a pair]. A poet says, قَالَتْ لَنَا وَدَمْعُهَا تُؤَامُ كَٱلدُّرِّ إِذْ أَسْلَمَهُ ٱلنِّظَامُ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ ٱرْتَحَلُوا ٱلسَّلَامُ [She said to us, while her tears fell in pairs, or in close succession, like large pearls when the string lets them drop off, Upon those who have departed be peace]. [This citation, and what immediately follows it in the S, mentioning the pl. تَوْءَمُونَ, not تُؤَامُونَ, have been misunderstood by Golius; and Freytag has followed him in this case.]
3 التَّوْءَمُ is also [a name of] A certain Mansion [of the Moon; namely, the Sixth; more commonly called الهَنْعَةُ;] pertaining to الجَوْزَآء [here meaning Gemini]; one of two [asterisms] called تَوْءَمَانِ: التَّوْءَمَانِ is The Sign of Gemini.
4 [The pl.] تَوَائِمُ also signifies Clusters, or what are clustered together, (مَا تَشَابَكَ,) of stars, and of pearls.
5 And تَوْءَمَانِ, A pair of pearls, or large pearls, for the ear: each of them is termed a تَوْءَمَة to the other.
6 التَّوْءَمَانِ, [in the CK التَّوْءَمانُ,] A certain small herb, having a fruit like cumin-seed, (AHn, M, and K in art. وأم,) and many leaves, growing in the plains, spreading long and wide, and having a yellow flower.
7 التَّوْءَمُ also signifies The arrow of the kind used in the game called المَيْسِر: or a certain arrow of those used in that game: or the second of those arrows; said by Lh to have two notches, and to entitle to two portions [of the slaughtered camel] if successful, and to subject to the payment for two portions if unsuccessful.
8 And تَوْءَمَاتٌ, A kind of women's vehicles [borne by camels], like the مَشَاجِر, erroneously said in the copies of the K to be like the مَشَاجِب, having no coverings, or canopies: the sing. is تَوْءَمَةٌ.

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