عفر

Root entry · 24 derived lemmas

The root عفر (ʿafara) primarily relates to dust, earth, and the color associated with it, often a reddish-brown or pale hue. It extends to actions involving rubbing or pressing something into the dust, implying subjugation, humiliation, or being covered in dirt. It also encompasses concepts of paleness, whiteness, and, metaphorically, cunning or strong demonic entities.

Derived headwords

عَفَرَverb

1.
to rub in dustboth
To rub or press something into the dust, often implying humiliation or subjugation.
2.
to throw to the groundclassical
To strike something against the ground, causing it to be covered in dust.
3.
to pullclassical
To pull or drag, with the implication that it will end up in the dust.

عفره في التراب يعفره عفرا — He rubbed him in the dust, rubbing him with a rubbing.

عَفَرٌnoun

1.
dustboth
The visible surface of dust or earth.
2.
pale colorboth
A pale or reddish-brown color, like that of dust.
3.
subjugationclassical
The state of being humbled or brought low, often through being pressed into the dust.

العفر والعفر: ظاهر التراب — The 'afar and 'afar: the visible surface of dust.

أَعْفَارٌnoun

1.
dustsclassical
The plural of 'afar, referring to accumulations or expanses of dust.

والجمع أعفار — And the plural is 'a'far.

تَعْفِيرٌnoun

1.
rubbing in dustboth
The act of rubbing or pressing something into the dust.
2.
whiteningclassical
The act of making something white or pale.
3.
weaningclassical
The process of weaning an animal or child, sometimes involving making the nipple unpalatable.

تعفيره تعفيرا — His rubbing, a rubbing.

انْعَفَرَverb

1.
to be rubbed in dustboth
To be rubbed or pressed into the dust.
2.
to become dustyboth
To become covered in dust.

فانعفر وتعفر: مرغه فيه أو دسه — So it became rubbed and it became rubbed: he rolled it in it or pushed it in.

تَعَفَّرَverb

1.
to be rubbed in dustboth
To be rubbed or pressed into the dust.
2.
to become dustyboth
To become covered in dust.
3.
to become paleclassical
To turn pale or whitish.
4.
to become fatclassical
To become plump or well-fed.

فانعفر وتعفر: مرغه فيه أو دسه — So it became rubbed and it became rubbed: he rolled it in it or pushed it in.

عَفَّرَهُverb

1.
to rub in dustboth
To cause something to be rubbed or pressed into the dust.
2.
to throw to the groundclassical
To strike something against the ground, causing it to be covered in dust.

وعفره في التراب يعفره عفرا — And he rubbed him in the dust, rubbing him.

اعْتَفَرَverb

1.
to be rubbed in dustboth
To become covered in dust, or to rub oneself in it.
2.
to be thrown to the groundclassical
To be struck against the ground and covered in dust.
3.
to be ravagedclassical
To be attacked and torn apart, as by a predator.

واعتفر ثوبه في التراب: كذلك — And he got his garment dusty in the earth: similarly.

اعتفره اعتفارا إذا ضربت به الأرض فمغثته — He threw him down forcefully if you struck him against the ground and made him sick.

مُعَفَّرٌadjective

1.
covered in dustboth
Having been rubbed or covered in dust.
2.
paleclassical
Having a pale or whitish color.

المعفور: المترب المعفر بالتراب — The ma'fur: the dusty, covered in dust.

مُنْعَفِرٌadjective

1.
covered in dustboth
Having become covered in dust.

وهو منعفر الوجه في التراب — And he is with a face covered in dust.

عُفْرَةٌnoun

1.
dustinessboth
A state of being dusty or covered in dust.
2.
pale colorboth
A pale or whitish hue, often mixed with redness.
3.
armpit whitenessclassical
The pale skin of the armpit.

العفرة: غبرة في حمرة — The 'ufrah: dustiness mixed with redness.

أَعْفَرُadjective

1.
paleboth
Having a pale or whitish color, often with a reddish tinge.
2.
dust-coloredboth
Having the color of dust.
3.
cunningclassical
Crafty, sly, or devious.

الأعفر من الظباء: الذي تعلو بياضه حمرة — The 'af'ar among gazelles: that whose whiteness is overlaid with redness.

رماني عن قرن أعفر — He threw me from a cunning horn (i.e., a dangerous situation).

عَفْرَاءُadjective

1.
paleboth
Pure white or very pale.
2.
untrodden landclassical
A white, untouched land.
3.
seventh to ninth nightclassical
Referring to the nights of the lunar month when the moon is bright.

وماعزة عفراء: خالصة البياض — And a pale goat: purely white.

وأرض عفراء: بيضاء لم توطأ — And a pale land: white and untrodden.

عَفِرٌadjective

1.
cunningclassical
Crafty, wicked, or devious.
2.
strongclassical
Powerful and formidable.

ورجل عفر وعفرية ونفرية وعفارية وعفريت بين العفارة: خبيث منكر داه — And a man 'afar, 'ifriyyah, nifriyyah, 'affariyyah, and 'ifrit, among the 'afarah: wicked, malevolent, cunning.

عِفْرِيتٌnoun

1.
demonboth
A powerful, cunning, and often malevolent jinn or demon.
2.
cunning personclassical
A person who is extremely cunning, capable, and perhaps wicked.

قال عفريت من الجن أنا آتيك به — An 'ifrit from the jinn said, 'I will bring it to you.'

عِفْرِيَّةٌnoun

1.
demonclassical
A powerful, cunning, and often malevolent jinn or demon.
2.
cunningclassical
A cunning or wicked entity or person.
3.
calamityclassical
A severe misfortune or disaster.

والعفرية: الداهية — And the 'ifriyyah: the calamity/cunning one.

عَفَّارِيَةٌnoun

1.
demonclassical
A powerful, cunning, and often malevolent jinn or demon.
2.
cunning personclassical
A person who is extremely cunning and wicked.

والعفارية مثل العفريت، وهو واحد — And the 'affariyyah is like the 'ifrit, and it is singular.

عَفَّارَةٌnoun

1.
wickednessclassical
Cunning, mischievousness, or devilishness.

والعفارة: الخبث والشيطنة — And the 'affarah: wickedness and devilishness.

يَعْفُورٌnoun

1.
gazelleboth
A young gazelle, especially one whose color resembles dust.
2.
wild cow calfclassical
A calf of a wild cow.
3.
part of the nightclassical
A specific segment of the night.

ما جرى اليعفور — What the ya'fur ran.

يَعْفُورَةٌnoun

1.
female gazelleclassical
A young female gazelle.

والأنثى يعفورة — And the female is ya'furah.

تَعَافَرَverb

1.
to become paleclassical
To turn pale or whitish.

حتى تعافر من نفثها أي تبيض — Until it became pale from its exhalation, meaning it became white.

عَفَرٌnoun

1.
red sandclassical
Reddish sand.

والأعفر: الرمل الأحمر — And the 'af'ar: the red sand.

عَفَرْنَىverb

1.
to be cunningclassical
To be cunning or wicked.

ويقال للخبيث عفرنى أي عفر — And the wicked is called 'afarnā, meaning 'afar.

عَفَرْنُونٌnoun

1.
cunning onesclassical
Plural of the cunning or wicked.

وهم العفرنون — And they are the 'afarnūn.

Parallel reading

العفر والعفر: ظاهر التراب، والجمع أعفار.

The 'afar and 'afar: the visible surface of dust, and the plural is 'a'far.

وعفره في التراب يعفره عفرا وعفره تعفيرا فانعفر وتعفر: مرغه فيه أو دسه.

And he rubbed him in the dust, rubbing him with a rubbing and rubbing him with a rubbing, so he became rubbed and he became rubbed: he rolled him in it or pushed him in.

والعفر: التراب؛ وفي حديث أبي جهل: هل يعفر محمد وجهه بين أظهركم؟ يريد به سجوده في التراب، ولذلك قال في آخره: لأطأن على رقبته أو لأعفرن وجهه في التراب ؛ يريد إذلاله؛

And the 'afar: the dust; and in the hadith of Abu Jahl: 'Does Muhammad rub his face in dust among you?' meaning his prostration in the dust, and therefore he said at the end: 'I will step on his neck or I will rub his face in the dust'; meaning his humiliation;

وسار لبكر نخبة من مجاشع، ... فلما رأى شيبان والخيل عفرا قيل في تفسيره: أراد تعفر.

And a select group from Majashi' marched towards Bakr, ... When Shayban and the horses saw them 'afar, it was said in its interpretation: he meant 'ta'affur.

وعفره واعتفره: ضرب به الأرض؛

And he rubbed him and threw him down: he struck him against the ground;

ألفيت أغلب من أسد المسد حديد ... الناب، أخذته عفر فتطريح

I found Ghaleb more formidable than the lion of the den, iron... of tooth, 'afar took him and threw him down.

فالعفر إذا هاهنا هو الجذب، فإن قلت: فكيف جاز أن يسمي الجذب عفرا؟

So the 'afar here is the pulling, and if you say: how is it permissible to call pulling 'afar?

وإنما يكون التعفير في التراب بعد الطرح لا قبله،

And the 'ta'feer' in the dust only happens after the throwing down, not before it,

اعتفر ثوبه في التراب: كذلك.

He got his garment dusty in the earth: similarly.

ويقال: عفرت فلانا في التراب إذا مرغته فيه تعفيرا.

And it is said: you 'afarred' someone in the dust if you rolled him in it with 'ta'feer'.

وانعفر الشيء: تترب، واعتفر مثله، وهو منعفر الوجه في التراب ومعفر الوجه.

And a thing became dusty: it became covered in dust, and similarly it became dusty, and he is with a face covered in dust and a face made dusty.

اعتفرته اعتفارا إذا ضربت به الأرض فمغثته؛

He threw him down forcefully if you struck him against the ground and made him sick;

قال المرار يصف امرأة طال شعرها وكثف حتى مس الأرض: تهلك المدراة في أكنافه، ... وإذا ما أرسلته يعتفر

Al-Murar said, describing a woman whose hair was long and thick until it touched the ground: The hair-pin is destroyed in its sides, ... and when she let it down, it dragged.

وفي الحديث: أنه مر على أرض تسمى عفرة فسماها خضرة ؛ هو من العفرة لون الأرض،

And in the hadith: He passed by a land called 'Ufrah and named it Khadrah; it is from the 'ufrah, the color of the earth,

المعفور: المترب المعفر بالتراب.

The ma'fur: the dusty, covered in dust.

وفي الحديث: العافر الوجه في الصلاة ؛ أي المترب.

And in the hadith: the 'aafir face in prayer; meaning dusty.

العفرة: غبرة في حمرة، عفر عفرا، وهو أعفر.

The 'ufrah: dustiness mixed with redness, he was 'afar with dust, and he is 'af'ar.

الأعفر من الظباء: الذي تعلو بياضه حمرة، وقيل: الأعفر منها الذي في سراته حمرة وأقرابه بيض؛

The 'af'ar among gazelles: that whose whiteness is overlaid with redness, and it is said: the 'af'ar among them is that whose navel has redness and whose flanks are white;

وكنا إذا جبار قوم أرادنا ... بكيد، حملناه على قرن أعفرا يقول: نقتله ونحمل رأسه على السنان،

And we, when the leader of a people intended us ... with a plot, we carried him on a pale horn. He means: we kill him and carry his head on the spearhead,

ويقال: رماني عن قرن أعفر أي رماني بداهية؛

And it is said: He threw me from a pale horn, meaning he threw me into a calamity;

ثريد أعفر: مبيض، وقد تعافر.

Pale thareed: whitened, and it has become pale.

حتى تعافر من نفثها أي تبيض.

Until it became pale from its exhalation, meaning it became white.

والأعفر: الرمل الأحمر؛

And the 'af'ar: the red sand;

وجردبت في سمل عفير يجوز أن يكون تصغير أعفر على تصغير الترخيم أي مصبوغ بصبغ بين البياض والحمرة.

And I traversed in a dusty garment, it is permissible for it to be a diminutive of 'af'ar through elided diminutive, meaning dyed with a color between white and red.

والأعفر: الأبيض وليس بالشديد البياض.

And the 'af'ar: the white, but not intensely white.

وماعزة عفراء: خالصة البياض.

And a pale goat: purely white.

وأرض عفراء: بيضاء لم توطأ كقولهم فيها بيحان اللون.

And a pale land: white and untrodden, like their saying 'bayhan al-lawn' for it.

يحشر الناس يوم القيامة على أرض عفراء.

People will be gathered on the Day of Resurrection on a pale land.

والعفر من ليالي الشهر: السابعة والثامنة والتاسعة، وذلك لبياض القمر.

And the 'afar of the nights of the month: the seventh, eighth, and ninth, and that is due to the whiteness of the moon.

ليس عفر الليالي كالدآدي ؛ أي الليالي المقمرة كالسود، وقيل: هو مثل.

The 'afar of the nights is not like the dark nights; meaning the moonlit nights are not like the dark ones, and it is said: it is a proverb.

أنه كان إذا سجد جافى عضديه حتى يرى من خلفه عفرة إبطيه ؛

That when he prostrated, he kept his upper arms away until the paleness of his armpits could be seen from behind him;

كأني أنظر إلى عفرتي إبطي رسول الله، صلى الله عليه وسلم ؛

As if I am looking at the paleness of the armpits of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him;

ما على عفر الأرض مثله أي ما على وجهها.

There is no one like him on the face of the earth, meaning on its surface.

عفر الرجل: خلط سود غنمه وإبله بعفر.

A man 'afarred': he mixed the black of his sheep and camels with pale ones.

لدم عفراء أحب إلي من دم سوداوين

The blood of a pale animal is more beloved to me than the blood of two black ones.

عفِري أي اخلطيها بغنم عفر، وقيل: أي استبدلي أغناما بيضا فإن البركة فيها.

'Affirī, meaning mix them with pale sheep, and it is said: meaning replace them with white sheep, for the blessing is in them.

المعفورة: الأرض التي أكل نبتها.

The ma'furah: the land whose vegetation has been eaten.

ما جرى اليعفور ؛

What the ya'fur ran;

جازت البيد إلى أرحلنا، ... آخر الليل، بيعفور خدر

She crossed the desert to our resting place, ... at the end of the night, with a slow-moving ya'fur.

عفرت الوحشية ولدها تعفره: قطعت عنه الرضاع يوما أو يومين، فإن خافت أن يضره ذلك ردته إلى الرضاع أياما ثم أعادته إلى الفطام، تفعل ذلك مرات حتى يستمر عليه، فذلك التعفير، والولد معفر، وذلك إذا أرادت فطامه؛

The wild animal weaned her young by 'ta'feer': she cut off nursing for a day or two, and if she feared it would harm him, she returned him to nursing for days then returned him to weaning, she does this multiple times until he endures it, and that is the 'ta'feer', and the child is ma'far, and that is when she intends to wean him;

لمعفر قهد، تنازع شلوه ... غبس كواسب ما يمن طعامها

To a dusty, fallen young one, whose carcass was being fought over by ... dark, earning ones who do not withhold their food.

تعفر الوحشي تعفرا إذا سمن؛

The wild animal became 'ta'affur' if it became fat;

اعتفره الأسد إذا افترسه.

The lion 'af'arred him if it preyed upon him.

ورجل عفر وعفرية ونفرية وعفارية وعفريت بين العفارة: خبيث منكر داه،

And a man 'afar, 'ifriyyah, nifriyyah, 'affariyyah, and 'ifrit, among the 'afarah: wicked, malevolent, cunning,

قرنت الظالمين بمرمريس، ... يذل لها العفارية المريد

He joined the two oppressors with Marmaris, ... the aspiring 'affariyyah is humbled by it.

كأنه كوكب في إثر عفرية، ... مسوم في سواد الليل منقضب

As if it were a star following a cunning one, ... marked in the blackness of the night, detached.

أول دينكم نبوة ورحمة ثم ملك أعفر ؛ أي ملك يساس بالدهاء والنكر، من قولهم للخبيث المنكر: عفر.

The beginning of your religion is prophecy and mercy, then a cunning king; meaning a king who is managed with cunning and wickedness, from their saying about the wicked and malevolent: 'afar.

والعفارة: الخبث والشيطنة؛ وامرأة عفرة.

And the 'affarah: wickedness and devilishness; and a wicked woman.

قال عفريت من الجن أنا آتيك به ؛

An 'ifrit from the jinn said, 'I will bring it to you';

وقد تعفرت، وهذا مما تحملوا فيه تبقية الزائد مع الأصل في حال الاشتقاق توفية للمعنى ودلالة عليه.

And he has become cunning, and this is from what they have carried over, retaining the extra with the root in the state of derivation to complete the meaning and indicate it.

امرأة عفريتة ورجل عفرين وعفرين كعفريت.

A female 'ifritah and a man 'afreen and 'afreen like 'ifrit.

وضبرة مثل الأتان عفرة، ... ثجلاء ذات خواصر ما تشبع

And a stout woman like a female donkey, wicked, ... with wide flanks, never satisfied.

ويقال للخبيث عفرنى أي عفر، وهم العفرنون.

And the wicked is called 'afarnā, meaning 'afar, and they are the 'afarnūn.

إن الله يبغض العفرية النفرية الذي لا يرزأ في أهل ولا مال ؛ قيل: هو الداهي الخبيث الشرير، ومنه العفريت، وقيل: هو الجموع المنوع، وقيل: الظلوم.

Indeed, Allah hates the cunning, wicked one who is not diminished in family or wealth; it is said: he is the cunning, wicked, evil one, and from him is the 'ifrit, and it is said: he is the hoarder and preventer, and it is said: the oppressor.

غشيهم يوم بدر ليثا عفريا أي قويا داهيا.

On the day of Badr, a fierce, cunning lion fell upon them, meaning strong and cunning.

أسد عفر وعفر بوزن طمر أي قوي عظيم.

A lion 'afar and 'afar, on the pattern of 'tamr', meaning strong and great.