ظَرْفٌ

Full Definition

ظَرْفٌ A receptacle of anything; [a vessel, or vase;] an إِبْرِيق is thus termed as being a ظرف for what is in it: and AHn applies it to a seed-vessel, or pericarp, or a cell of a pericarp: [and it is also applied to a case, or cover, for a book or the like:] the pl. is ظُرُوفٌ: أَظْرَافٌ is a mistake. [Applying it to a vessel of silver,] Har uses it as meaning “ silver. ” One says, أَخَذْتُ المَتَاعَ بِظَرْفِهِ [I took the goods with the receptacle thereof]. And hence, رَأَيْتُهُ بِظَرْفِهِ I saw him himself. And هُوَ نَقِىُّ الظَّرْفِ He is faithful, not treacherous.
2 And hence [An adverbial noun of place or of time, implying the meaning of the preposition فى; and also by some applied to a noun of place or of time together with that preposition; i. e.] what are termed ظَرْفُ المَكَانِ and الزَّمَانِ, pl. ظُرُوفُ الزَّمَانِ and المَكَانِ: the descriptive terms that denote the places [or times] of things are called ظُرُوفٌ: they are thus termed by Kh; and by Ks, مَحَالُّ; and by Fr, صِفَاتٌ.
3 Also [Excellence, or elegance, in mind, manners, and address or speech; and in person, countenance, or garb, guise, or external appearance; or all of these qualities combined:] a term denoting a condition that combines the generality of mental and bodily and extrinsic excellences; likened [by reason of its comprehensiveness] to the receptacle thus called: or cleverness, ingeniousness, intelligence, or acuteness in intellect; syn. كِيَاسَةٌ, or كَيْسٌ, and ذَكَآءٌ: or i. q. بَرَاعَةٌ, and ذَكَآءُ قَلْبٍ; [the former meaning excellence in knowledge, or other qualities; or accomplishment, or perfection, in every excellence, and in goodliness;] thus accord. to most of the copies of the K [as well as the 'Eyn and M and O and Msb], but correctly بَزَاعَة, with the letter زاى: [if so, these two explanations (بَزَاعَةٌ and ذَكَآءُ قَلْبٍ) add nothing to others here given:] or skilfulness in a thing is thus termed by the people of El-Yemen: or it is in the tongue, only; meaning beauty of expression, and eloquence; and حَلَاوَةٌ is in the eyes, and مَلَاحَةٌ is in the mouth, and جَمَالٌ is in the nose: or beauty of garb, guise, or external appearance: or beauty of face, and of garb, guise, or external appearance: or it is in the face and in the tongue: or goodliness, or beauty; and أَدَب [as having the meaning first assigned to ظَرْفٌ in this sentence, i. e. excellence, or elegance, in mind, manners, or address or speech; or as meaning good breeding, good manners, politeness, or polite accomplishments]: or, as an Verbal.Noun, the being elegant, graceful, or beautiful: and the being intelligent, sagacious, or acute in intellect: accord. to the author of the 'Eyn, it is only an attribute of young men and young women that are acute in intellect, clever, or skilful; not of elders, nor of lords, or chiefs: but as meaning كِيْسٌ, it is common to young persons and elders: some of those who affect distinctness of speech by twisting the sides of the mouth say that the word is ظُرْفٌ , with damm, to distinguish it from ظَرْفٌ meaning “ a receptacle; ” but this is a sheer mistake.

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