سَبَحَ

Form: 1

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سَبَحَI , Present.T ـَ Verbal.Noun سَبْحٌ and سِبَاحَةٌ, or the latter is a simple subst., He swam, syn. عَامَ, بِالنَّهْرِ and فِيهِ [in the river], or rather بِالمَآءِ or فى المَآءِ [i. e. in the water], for it is likewise in the sea, and in a pool, and also in any expanse: [or he swam upon the surface, without immersing himself; for,] accord. to Z, there is a difference between عَوْمٌ and سِبَاحَةٌ; the former signifying the “ coursing along in water with immersion of oneself; ” and the latter, the coursing along upon water without immersion of oneself.
2 [Hence,] النُّجُومُ تَسْبَحُ فِى الفَلَكِ The stars [swim, or glide along, or] pass along, in the firmament, with a spreading forth. It is said in the Kur xxi. 34 and xxxvi. 40, with reference to the sun and the moon, with which the stars are meant to be included, كُلٌّ فِى فَلَكٍ يَسْبَحُونَ, i. e. All [glide or] travel along swiftly, [in a firmament,] like the swimmer upon the surface of the water, or in the water; wherefore the form of the verb used is that which is appropriate to rational beings, swimming being the act of such beings.
3 And [hence] one says, سَبَحَ ذِكْرُكَ الشَّمْسِ وَ القَمَرِ [Thy fame has travelled as far as the sun and the moon; lit., swum along the tracts along which swim the sun and the moon].
4 [Hence, likewise, as Verbal.Noun of سَبَحَ, Present.T as above,] سَبْحٌ also signifies The running of a horse in which the fore legs are stretched forth well [like as are the arms of a man in swimming].
5 And The being quick, or swift.
6 And The being, or becoming, remote.
7 And The travelling far. You say, سَبَحَ فِى الأَرْضِ He went, or travelled, far, in, or into, the land, or country: and سَبَخَ: both thus expl. by Abu-l-Jahm El-Jaafaree.
8 And The journeying for the purpose of traffic (تَقَلُّب [q. v.]); and [a people's] becoming scattered, or dispersed, in the land, or earth. And The busying oneself in going to and fro, or seeking gain, and occupying oneself according to his own judgment or discretion, in the disposal or management of affairs, in respect of the means of subsistence. You say, فُلَانٌ يَسْبَحُ النَّهَارَ كُلَّهُ فِى طَلَبِ المَعَاشِ [Such a one busies himself in going to and fro, or occupies himself according to his own judgment or discretion, in seeking the means of subsistence]. And سَبَحَ فِى حَوَائِجِهِ He occupied himself according to his own judgment or discretion in the accomplishment of his needful affairs.
9 As used in the Kur [lxxiii. 7], where it is said, إِنَّ لَكَ فِى النَّهَارِ سَبْحًا طَوِيلًا, it is variously explained: accord. to Katádeh and El-Muärrij, the meaning is, [Verily thou hast in the day-time] long freedom from occupation; and in this sense, also, its verb is سَبَحَ, Present.T ـَ: [thus it has two contr. significations:] or, accord. to Lth, leisure for sleep: accord. to AO, the meaning is, long-continued scope, or room, for free action; syn. مُتَقَلَّبًا طَوِيلًا: and accord. to ElMuärrij, it means also coming and going: accord. to Fr, the meaning is, thou hast in the day-time the accomplishment of thy needful affairs: or the meaning is, [long] occupation of thyself in thy affairs of business; not being free from occupation therein for the reciting of the Kur-án. Some read سَبْخًا, which has nearly the same meaning as سَبْحًا.
10 As Verbal.Noun of سَبَحَ, it signifies also The state of sleeping. And as such also, The being still, quiet, or motionless.
11 [Also The glistening of the mirage.] You say, سَبَحَ السَّرَابُ, or الآلُ, meaning لَمَعَ [i. e. The mirage glistened].
12 And The digging, or burrowing, in the earth, or ground. You say of the jerboa, سَبَحَ فِى الأَرْضِ He dug, or burrowed, in the earth, or ground.
13 And The being profuse in speech. You say, سَبَحَ فِى الكَلَامِ He was profuse in speech.
14 See also the next paragraph. in two places.

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