حَمَامٌ

Root: حم

Full Definition

حَمَامٌ [The pigeon, both wild and domestic, but more properly the former; and sometimes not strictly confined to denote the pigeon-kind:] a certain wild bird, that does not keep to the houses; well-known: or any collared, or ringed, bird; so with the Arabs; such as the فَوَاخِت and the قَمَارِىّ and سَاقُ حُرّ and the قَطَا and the وَرَاشِين and the like, and the domestic [pigeons] (الدَّوَاجِن), also, that are taken into houses for the purpose of producing their young ones; to which last alone the term is applied by the vulgar: accord. to Ks, it is the wild [species]; and the يَمَام is that which keeps to the houses: accord. to As, the latter is the حَمَام وَحْشِىّ [or wild pigeon]; a species of the birds of the desert: or, accord. to Esh-Sháfi'ee, حَمَامٌ signifies any kind of bird that drinks in the manner denoted by the verb عَبَّ, [i. e. continuously,] and cooes; including the قَمَارِىّ and وَرَاشِين and فَوَاخِت; whether it be, or be not, collared, or ringed; domestic or wild: the flesh thereof strengthens the venereal faculty, and increases the seminal fluid and the blood; the putting it, cut open while alive, upon the place stung by a scorpion, is a proved cure; and the blood stops bleeding from the nose: the n. un. is with ة; which is applied to the male and the female: and in like manner, حَمَامٌ, because the ة is added to restrict to unity, not to make fem.: but to distinguish the masc., you may say, رَأَيْتُ حَمَامًا عَلَى حَمَامَةٍ, i. e. I saw a male [pigeon] upon a female [pigeon]: accord. to ISd and the K, however, حَمَامٌ should not be applied to the [single] male: in a verse of Homeyd Ibn-Thowr, cited voce حُرٌّ, by the n. un. is meant a قُمْرِيَّة: the pl. of حمامة is حَمَامٌ, [or rather this is the coll. gen. n.,] and حَمَائِمُ and حَمَامَاتٌ: and sometimes حَمَامٌ is used as a sing.: [so in an ex. above: and] Jirán-el-'Owd says, وَذَكَّرَنِى الصِّبَا بَعْدَ التَّنَائِى حَمَامَةُ أَيْكَةٍ تَدْعُو حَمَامَا [And a female pigeon of a thicket, calling a male pigeon, reminded me of youth, after estrangement]: a poet also says, حَمَامَا قَقْرَةٍ وَقَعَا فَطَارَا [Two pigeons of a desert tract alighted and flew away]: and El-Umawee cites, as an ex. of حَمَام applied to the domestic [pigeons], قَوَاطِنًا مَكَّةَ مِنْ وُرْقِ الحَمَى [Inhabiting Mekkeh, of the pigeons of a white colour inclining to black]; by الحمى [or rather it should be written الحَمَا] meaning الحَمَام.

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