فرع

فَرَعٌ ذ The firstling of the camel, (S, Mgh, O, Msb, K,) or of the sheep or goat, (L, K,) which they used to sacrifice to their gods, (S, Mgh, O, Msb, K,) looking for a blessing thereby; (S, O, Msb;) and ↓ فَرَعَةٌ signifies the same: (Mgh, Msb:) hence, (Mgh, O, K,) it is said in a trad., [implying the prohibition of this custom,] لَا فَرَعَ وَلَا عَتِيرَةٌ, (S, O, K, *) or وَلَا عَتِيرَةَ ↓ لَا فَرَعَةَ: (Mgh: [see عَتِيرَةٌ:]) or when the camels amounted to the number for which their owner wished, they sacrificed [ a firstling ]: (TA:) or when one's camels amounted to a complete hundred, (K, TA,) he sacrificed a he-camel thereof every year, and gave it to the people to eat, neither he nor his family tasting it, or rather, it is said, (TA,) he sacrificed a young, or youthful, he-camel to his idol: and the Muslims used to do it in the first part of ElIslám: then it was abrogated: (K, TA:) accord. to the Bári' and the Mj, the firstling of camels and also that of sheep or goats are thus called: (Msb:) the pl. [of فَرَعٌ] is فُرُعٌ, with two dammehs. (K.) It is said in a prov., أَوَّلُ الصَّيْدِ فَرَعٌ [ The first of what are taken by the chase or the like is a فرع] as being likened to a firstling: so says Yezeed Ibn-Murrah. (TA. [See Freytag's Arab. Prov., i. 35.]) ― -b2- The poet Ows Ibn- Hajar, (S, O,) or Bishr Ibn-Abee-Kházim, has used it as meaning The skin of a فَرَع; (S, O; *) suppressing the prefix جِلْد: (S:) for they used to clothe with its skin another young one of a camel, in order that the mother of the one sacrificed might incline to it [and yield her milk]. (O; and the like is said in the TA.) -A2- Also, and ↓ فَرْعٌ, Lice: (S, K:) or, as some say, small lice: (TA:) and one thereof is termed ↓ فَرَعَةٌ and ↓ فَرْعَةٌ: (S, K:) or, accord. to some, فرعة signifies a large louse. (TA.) -A3- And the former (فَرَعٌ), Food that is prepared [app. for persons invited to partake of it ] on the occasion of camels' bringing forth; like as خُرْسٌ signifies such as is on the occasion of a woman's bringing forth. (TA.) ― -b2- And A portion, or share; syn. قِسْمٌ: (O, K, TA:) accord. to some, peculiarly of water. (TA.) ― -b3- See also فَرْعٌ, last quarter. -A4- It is also the inf. n. of فَرِعَ. (TA. [See 1, last sentence.])