خطب

خِطْبٌ خطب خطبة A man who asks, or demands, a woman in marriage; (S, A, * K; *) as also ↓ خُطْبٌ (MF) and ↓ خَاطِبٌ (A, Msb, K) and ↓ خِطِّيبٌ: pl. of the first أَخْطَابٌ, (K,) and of the second خُطَّابٌ, (A,) and of the last خِطِّيبُونَ. (K.) You say, هُوَخِطْبُهَا [and ↓ خَاطِبُهَا] and ↓ خِطِّيبُهَا He is her asker, or demander, in marriage. (K, * TA.) It was a custom, in the Time of Ignorance, for a man to stand up and to say خِطْبٌ, (A, K, *) and ↓ خُطْبٌ, (K,) meaning I am an asker, or demander, in marriage; (MF;) and he who desired to give to him in marriage would reply نِكْحٌ, (A, K, *) and نُكْحٌ, (K,) [meaning I am “ a giver in marriage, ”] and thus marriage was effected: there was a woman among them, called Umm-Khárijeh, and the man who asked her in marriage used to stand at the door of her tent, and say, خِطْبٌ; and she used to reply, نِكْحٌ; (S, * TA;) and hence the prov, أَسْرَعُ مِنْ نِكَاحِ أُمِّ خَارِجَةَ [Quicker than the marriage of Umm-Khárijeh]. (TA.) ― -b2- Also A woman asked, or demanded, in marriage; (S, A, * K; *) and so ↓ خِطْبَةٌ (S, K) and ↓ خُطْبَةٌ (Kr, K) and ↓ خِطِّيبَةٌ (A, K) and ↓ خِطِّيبَى [which is also an inf. n.: see 1] : (K:) or this last signifies a woman often asked, or demanded, in marriage. (JK.) You say, هِىَ خِطْبُهُ and ↓ خِطْبَتُهُ (S, K) &c. (K) She is the person asked, or demanded, in marriage by him. (S, K. *)