Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon

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سَمَاسِمُ

Root: سم

Full Definition

سَمَاسِمُ A species of bird, resembling the swallow; [but see what follows;] thus expl. by Th, who has not mentioned any sing. thereof; and Lh adds that its eggs are unattainable: so in the prov., كَلَّفْتَنِى بَيْضَ السَّمَاسِمِ [Thou hast imposed upon me the task of procuring the eggs of the سَمَاسِم]; applied in the case of a man's being asked for that which he will not find, and which will not be: or السَّمَاسِم is here pl. of [i. e. السُّمْسُمَةُ or السِّمْسِمَةُ], and means the red ants: thus some relate the prov.: but others say, , pl. of سَمَامَةٌ, [n. un. of سَمَامٌ,] which means a species of bird like the swallow, the eggs of which are unattainable. (Meyd. [By Freytag, سَمَائِمُ is erroneously said, as on the authority of Meyd, to be pl. of سَامَّةٌ in this sense.]) In [some of] the copies of the K, السُّمَاسِمُ is here erroneously put for السَّمَاسِمُ.


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