سرى

سَرِيَّةٌ ذ A portion of an army: (S, Msb:) of the measure فَعِيلَةٌ in the sense of the measure فَاعِلَةٌ; because marching by night, privily; (Mgh, Msb;) thus originally, and afterwards applied also to such as march by day: (Ham p. 45:) or it may be from الاِسْتِرَاآءُ “ the act of choosing, or selecting; ” because a company chosen from the army: (Mgh: [but if so, belonging to art. سرو:]) from five persons to three hundred: (M, K:) or four hundred: (K:) or, of horsemen, about four hundred: (M:) or the best thereof, (S,) or the utmost, (Nh,) consists of four hundred: (S, Nh:) or, accord. to the “ Fet-h el-Bári, ” from a hundred to five hundred: (TA:) or nine, and more than this; three, and four, and the like being termed طَلِيعَةٌ, not سَرِيَّةٌ: but it is related of the Prophet that he sent a single person as a سَرِيَّة: (Mgh:) the pl. is سَرَايَا (S, Msb) and سَرِيَّاتٌ. (Msb.) -A2- See also سِرْيَةٌ.