رَقِيبٌ

Full Definition

رَقِيبٌ , of the measure فَعِيلٌ in the sense of the measure فَاعِلٌ, A looker, watcher, or waiter, in expectation [of a person or thing]: pl. رُقَبَآءُ.
2 A guarder, guardian, keeper, or preserver: a guard of a people; one stationed on an elevated place to keep watch: a spy, or scout, of an army: a watcher, or an observer.
3 [Hence,] الرّقِيبُ is an appel-lation applied to God; meaning The Guardian, Keeper, Watcher, or Observer, from whom nothing is hidden.
4 Also The أَمِين of the players at the game called المَيْسِر; or he who is intrusted with the supervision of the ضَرِيب [or shuffler of the arrows]: or the man who stands behind the حُرْضَة [q. v.] in the game above mentioned: the meanings of all these explanations are [said to be] the same: pl. as above.
5 And The third of the arrows used in the game above mentioned: it is one of the seven arrows to which lots, or portions, appertain: by some it is called الضَّرِيبُ: (Lh, L in art. ضرب:) the arrows are ten in number: the first is الفَذُّ, which has one notch and one portion; the second, التَّوْءَمُ, which has two notches and two portions; the third, الرَّقِيبُ, which has three notches and three portions; the fourth, الحِلْسُ or الحَلِسُ, which has four notches [and four portions]; the fifth, النَّافِسُ, which has five notches [and five portions]; the sixth, المُسْبِلُ, which has six notches [and six portions]; and the seventh, المُعَلَّى, the highest of all, which has seven notches and seven portions: those to which no portions appertain are السَّفِيحُ and المَنِيحُ and الوَغْدُ. A poet says, إِذَا قَسَمَ الهَوَى أَعْشَارَ قَلْبِى فَسَهْمَاكِ المُعَلَّى وَالرَّقِيبُ [When love divides the tenths of my heart, thy two arrows will be the mo'allà and the rakeeb]: by the سَهْمَانِ, [which properly signifies two arrows, and hence two portions gained by two gaming-arrows, and then any two portions,] he means her eyes: and as the معلّى has seven portions and the رقيب has three, the سهمان would gain the whole of his heart. (TA. [See also a verse cited voce عُشْرٌ.])
6 رَقِيبُ النَّجْمِ signifies The star, or asterism, that sets with the rising of that [other] star, or asterism: for example, the رقيب of الثُّرَيَّا is الإِكْلِيلُ: [and the former is the رقيب of the latter:] when the latter rises at nightfall, the former sets: or رَقِيبٌ signifies the star, or asterism, which [as it were] watches, (يُرَاقِبُ,) in the east, the star, or asterism, setting in the west: or any one of the Mansions of the Moon is the رقيب of another: whenever any one of them rises, another [of them] sets: (TA: [see مَنَازِلُ القَمَرِ, in art. نزل; and see also نَوْءٌ:]) and الرَّقِيبُ is a [certain] star, or asterism, of the stars, or asterisms, [that were believed to be the givers] of rain, that [as it were] watches another star, or asterism: [it was app. applied to الإِكْلِيلُ, as being the رقيب of the most noted and most welcome of all the Mansions of the Moon, namely, الثُّرَيَّا: see نَوْءٌ.] The رَقِيب of الثُّرَيَّا is [also] an appellation applied to الدَّبَرَانُ [i. e. The Hyades; or the five chief stars of the Hyades; or the brightest star among them, α of Taurus]; because a follower thereof: [and] العَيُّوقُ [i. e. Capella] is so called as being likened to the رقيب of the game called المَيْسِر. [Hence,] one says, لَاآتِيكَ أَوْ يَلْقَى الثُّرَيَّا رَقِيبُهَا [I will not come to thee unless their رقيب meet the Pleiades].
7 رَقِيبٌ also signifies A man's successor, of his offspring, and of his عَشِيرَة [i. e. kinsfolk, or nearer or nearest relations by descent from the same ancestor, &c.]. So in the saying, نِعْمَ الرَّقِيبُ أَنْتَ لِأَبِيكَ وَسَلَفِكَ [Excellent, or most excellent, is the successor; such art thou to thy father and thine ancestors]: because the successor is like الدَّبَرَان to الثُّرَيَّا.
8 And The son of a paternal uncle. [App. because two male cousins by the father's side are often rivals, and watchers of each other; the son of a girl's paternal uncle being commonly preferred as her husband.]
9 Also A species of serpent: as though it watched by reason of hatred: or a certain malignant serpent: pl. رَقِيبَاتٌ and رُقُبٌ.

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