نكح

نِكْحٌ ذ and ↓ نُكْحٌ substs. from أَنْكَحَهَا, [The act of giving a woman in marriage ]. (K.) ― -b2- [These two words are properly quasi-inf. ns, of أَنْكَحَ, signifying as explained above; and, like inf. ns., may be used as epithets, meaning A giver of a woman in marriage, correlative to خُِطْبٌ.] It was a custom, in the time of paganism, for a man to come to a tribe asking for a woman in marriage; and he would stand up in their assembly, and say خِطْبٌ, i. e., I have come as an asker of a woman in marriage; whereupon it would be said to him نِكْحٌ, meaning We marry her to thee, or give her to thee in marriage, [or, more lit., we are givers of her in marriage: for an inf. n. or quasi-inf. n. used as an epithet is used without variation as sing., dual., and pl.; and masc. and fem.]. ↓ نُكْحٌ was also said: but نِكْحٌ is here said for the sake of resemblance to خِطْبٌ. (L.) You say هو نِكْحُهَا He is the person who gives her in marriage: and هِىَ نِكْحَتُهُ She is the person whom he gives in marriage. (Lh, L) ― -b3- نِكْحٌ and ↓ نُكْحٌ, [and, accord. to Lth and ISh, نِكِحٌ: see اـِبِدٌ:] are also two words by which the [Pagan] Arabs used to take women in marriage: (S:) [meaning A giver of a woman in marriage ]. (MF, in art. خطب.) A man used to say to Umm-Khárijeh, in asking her in marriage, خُِطْبٌ, and she used to reply نُكِْحٌ: hence the saying أَسْرَعُ مِنْ نِكَاحِ أُمِّ خَارِجَةَ [ Quicker than the marriage of Umm-Khárijeh ]. (S, K.) [See خِطْبٌ].