Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon

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نَمَطٌ

Root: نمط

Full Definition

نَمَطٌ The facing, or outer covering, (ظِهَارَة,) of a bed upon which one sleeps, or of a thing that is spread upon the ground to sit or lie upon, whatever it be: or a sort of carpet or other thing that is spread upon the ground: and a woollen cloth which is thrown over the [kind of vehicle called] هَوْدَج, having a fine nap, or pile, of some colour; what is white being seldom or never so called: or a sort of dyed cloth, like زَوْجٌ, these names being seldom or never applied but to what is coloured red or green or yellow; what is white not being called نَمَطٌ: and a cloth that is spread beneath a horse's saddle: some say, that it is a receptacle like the سَفَط: (Har, p. 273 [but this I think doubtful:] pl. أَنْمَاطٌ [properly a pl. of pauc. but used also as one of mult.] and نِمَاطٌ.

def.2 A body of men whose case is one; i. e. a class of men. It is said in a trad., of 'Alee, خَيْرُ هٰذِهِ الأُمَّةِ النَّمَطُ الأَوْسَطُ The best of this people is the middle body thereof whose case is one; i. e. the middle class thereof: (S, in which is added, يُلْحَقُ بِهِمُ التَّالِى وَيُرْجَعُ إِلَيْهِمُ الغَالِى [he who falls short shall be made to reach them, and he who exceeds the due bounds shall be brought back to them:]) A 'Obeyd says, the meaning of this saying of 'Alee is, that he disliked the exceeding of the due bounds and the falling short in religion.

def.3 A way: a way, course, mode, or manner, of acting, conduct, or the like; as also انمط : a tenet, or body of tenets, belief, creed, opinion, or persuasion, which one takes to, or holds: a kind, or way, of speech. You say, إِلْزَمْ هٰذَا النّمَطَ keep thou to this way. And تَكَلَّمُوا عَلَى نَمَطٍ وَاحِدٍ They spoke according to one way, course, mode, or manner, &c.
2 A sort, or species, of a thing, of goods or commodities, of learning or. science, &c. You say, عِنْدِى مَتَاعٌ مِنْ هٰذَا النَّمَطِ I have goods of this sort, or species. And هٰذَا مِنْ نَمَطِ هٰذَا This is of the sort, or species, of this.
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