نفر

نَفِيرٌ ذ A people hastening to war, or to some other undertaking: an inf. n. used as a subst.: (Msb:) or a people going to execute an affair: (S:) or a people going with one to fight; as also ↓ نَفْرَةٌ [q. v.] and ↓ نَفْرٌ: (M, K:) each is a noun having a pl. signification: (M:) or the first and last signify a company of men: and the pl. of each is أَنْفَارٌ: (M:) or the first, (S,) or all, (K,) a people, (S,) or company, (K,) preceding in an affair: (S, K:) or the first, those of a man's people who go forth with him to war: or it is a pl. [or quasi-pl.] of نَفَرٌ, signifying men assembled to go to the enemy: (Bd, xvii. 6:) or aiders, or assistants. (M.) [See نَفَرٌ, in two places.] You say, جَاآءَتْ نَفْرَةُ بَنِى فُلَانٍ, and نَفِيرُهُمْ, The company of the sons of such a one, that came forth to execute an affair, arrived. (S, TA.) نَفِيرُ قُرَيْشٍ means Those of Kureysh who went forth to Bedr to defend the caravan of Aboo-Sufyán, (M,) which was coming from Syria. (T.) Hence the proverb, فُلَانٌ لَا فِى العِيرِ وَلَا فِى النَّفِيرِ [ Such a one is neither in the caravan nor in the company going forth to fight ]: applied to him who is not regarded as fit for a difficult undertaking: because none held back from the caravan and the fight except him who was crippled by disease and him in whom was no good; (TA:) or the original words of the proverb are لا فِى العِيرِ وَلَا فِى النَّفِيرِ: and these words were first said by Aboo-Sufyán, with reference to the Benoo-Zuhrah, when he found them turning back towards Mekkeh; and, accord. to As, are applied to a man who is held in low and little repute. (Mgh.) [See also Freytag's Arab. Prov., ii. 500.]