Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon

خَيْطَةٌ

Root: خيط

Full Definition

خَيْطَةٌ [n. un. of خَيْطٌ, q. v.
2 Also,] in the dial. of Hudheyl, A wooden peg or stoke, which is fixed in a mountain, in order that one may let himself down [by means of a rope attached thereto] over against the place where [wild] honey is deposited [to gather it]. Aboo-Dhu-eyb says, describing the gathere of honey, تَدَلَّى عَلَيْهَا بَيْنَ سِبٍّ وَخَيْطَةٍ بِجَرْدَآءَ مِثْلِ الوَكْفِ يَكْبُو غُرَابُهَا i. e. He let himself down [over against it, meaning the place of the honey, partly] by means of a rope (for so سِبّ signifies) and [partly by means of] a wooden peg or stake [to which the rope was attached, fixed] in a rock smooth like the [leather termed] وَكْف, i. q. نِطَع, [the crow of which rock would fall prone upon its face for want of something therein to which to cling:] or خيطة signifies a rope; [and if so, سِبّ here means “ a wooden peg, ” which is a signification assigned to it in the K in art. سب:] or, accord. to AA, a slender rope made [of the bark] of the tree called سَلَب: and a string which is with the gatherer of honey, and with which he pulls the rope [app. when he has detached himself from the latter to gather the honey], it being tied to him: or a [tunic of the kind called] دُرَّاعَة, [of leather,] which he wears. (Ibn-Habeeb, K, TA. [In the CK, دُرّاعَةٍ is erroneously put for دُرَّاعَةٌ.])

def.2 See also 1, in four places. One says also, مَاآتِيكَ إِلَّا الخَيْطَةَ I do not come to thee save sometime.


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