سفف

Root entry · 16 derived lemmas

The root سفف (s-f-f) primarily relates to the act of taking something dry, often powdered or granular, by mouth, like medicine or food. It extends to concepts of closeness, proximity, and drawing near, as well as weaving or interlacing, and can also describe something low, inferior, or insignificant.

Derived headwords

سَفَّverb

1.
to take dry powder by mouthboth
To take powdered food, medicine, or other dry substances into the mouth, often by scooping or sifting.
2.
to drink copiously without satisfactionclassical
To drink a large amount of water but remain unquenched.
3.
to weaveclassical
To weave or interlace dry materials, such as palm fronds.
4.
to approachclassical
To draw near or approach something.
5.
to look intentlyclassical
To look intently or fix one's gaze upon something.

سففت السويق والدواء ونحوهما — I took the gruel and medicine and the like by mouth.

سففت الماء أسفه سفا — I drank the water copiously.

سَفٌّnoun

1.
powdered substanceboth
A dry substance taken by mouth, such as medicine or food, not in paste form.
2.
act of taking powderclassical
The act of taking something dry by mouth.
3.
weavingclassical
The act of weaving or interlacing, especially palm fronds.
4.
closenessclassical
Proximity or nearness.
5.
type of snakeclassical
A type of snake, possibly a cobra or viper.

كل دواء يؤخذ غير معجون فهو سفوف — Every medicine taken not as a paste is a sufuf.

سَفُوفnoun

1.
powdered medicine/foodboth
A dry substance taken by mouth, not in paste form, like powdered pomegranate seeds.
2.
blackness of gumsclassical
The dark color of the gums.

مثل سفوف حب الرمان ونحوه — like powdered pomegranate seeds and the like.

سَفَّةnoun

1.
scoop/handfulclassical
A scoop or handful of something, especially gruel or a dry substance.
2.
single actclassical
A single instance or act of taking something by mouth.
3.
woven piececlassical
A piece woven from palm fronds, like a basket or mat.
4.
hair accessoryclassical
A piece of woven material, possibly from reeds, worn by women in their hair.

سفة من السويق — a handful of gruel.

ما في بيتك سفة ولا هفة — there is nothing woven in your house.

اسْتَفَّverb

1.
to take dry powder by mouthboth
To take powdered food or medicine by mouth.

واستففته: قمحته إذا أخذته غير ملتوت — and I took it by mouth: I scooped it up when taking it unmixed.

أَسَفَّverb

1.
to stuff/fillclassical
To stuff or fill something, like a wound with medicine or skin with pigment for tattooing.
2.
to approach/draw nearclassical
To draw near to the earth, like a bird or cloud, or to approach matters.
3.
to change colorclassical
Said of a face that changes color, as if dusted with something.
4.
to weaveclassical
To weave or interlace something, especially palm fronds.
5.
to look intentlyclassical
To look intently or fix one's gaze downwards.

أسف الجرح الدواء: حشاه به — He stuffed the wound with medicine.

أسف الوشم بالنؤور: حشاه — He filled the tattoo with pigment.

فكأنما أسف وجه رسول الله — as if the face of the Messenger of God had changed color.

أسففت الخوص أسفه — I wove the palm fronds.

أسف الطائر والسحابة وغيرهما: دنا من الأرض — A bird, cloud, or other thing approached the earth.

سَفِيفnoun

1.
woven stripboth
A woven strip, especially of palm fronds.
2.
saddle girthclassical
A wide girth used to secure a saddle or howdah.
3.
sharpness of earsclassical
The sharpness or keenness of a wolf's ears.

سفيفة من خوص: نسيجة من خوص — a woven strip of palm fronds.

السفيف: حزام الرحل والهودج — The safif: the strap of the saddle and the howdah.

سَفِيفَةnoun

1.
woven pieceboth
A piece woven from palm fronds, like a basket or mat.
2.
unwoven palm frond basketclassical
A palm frond basket before it is woven or completed.
3.
wide girthclassical
A wide strap used to secure a saddle or howdah.

سفيفة من خوص: نسيجة من خوص — a woven strip of palm fronds.

السفيفة: الدوخلة من الخوص قبل أن ترمل — The safifa: the palm frond basket before it is woven.

سَفَائِفnoun

1.
wide stripsclassical
Wide pieces or strips, especially of woven material.

والسفائف ما عرض من الأغراض — And the safa'if are the wide parts of things.

سَفْسَافnoun

1.
inferior/trivialboth
The inferior, trivial, or insignificant part of something; the lowliest matters.
2.
fine dustclassical
Fine dust or powder.
3.
poor qualityclassical
The bad or inferior quality of anything.

إن الله يحب معالي الأمور ويبغض سفسافها — Indeed, God loves noble matters and detests their trivialities.

وهاج بسفساف التراب عقيمها — and its barrenness was stirred by the fine dust.

سَفْسَفَverb

1.
to siftclassical
To sift flour or other dry substances.
2.
to blow lightlyclassical
Said of wind blowing lightly over the surface of the earth.
3.
to make inferiorclassical
To make something inferior or trivial.

إذا مساحيج الرياح السفن — when the sieves of the winds sifted.

مِسْفَسِفadjective

1.
mean-spiritedclassical
Mean-spirited, ignoble, or of low character.

وسام جسيمات الأمور، ولا تكن ... مسفا، إلى ما دق منهن، دانيا — And seek the great matters, and do not be mean-spirited, drawing near to their subtleties.

سَفْسَافَةnoun

1.
light windclassical
A wind that blows lightly over the surface of the earth.

وسفسفت ملاح هيف ذابلا — and a light wind blew, making a withered one fly.

سَفْسَفَةnoun

1.
siftingclassical
The act of sifting flour or fine particles.

والسفسفة: انتخال الدقيق بالمنخل ونحوه — And the safsafah: sifting flour with a sieve or the like.

سَفّname

1.
name of a snakeclassical
A name for a type of snake, possibly a viper or cobra.

والسف والسف من الحيات الشجاع — And as-saff and as-saff are names for the brave snake.

سَوْفَparticle

1.
future particleboth
A particle indicating the future tense, similar to 'will' or 'shall'.

سف تفعل، ساكنة الفاء، أي سوف تفعل — saf' (with a silent fa') means 'sawfa' (you will do).

Parallel reading

سففت السويق والدواء ونحوهما، بالكسر، أسفه سفا واستففته: قمحته إذا أخذته غير ملتوت

I took gruel, medicine, and the like by mouth, with a kasra, asfahuhu safan, and I took it by mouth: I scooped it up when taking it unmixed.

وكل دواء يؤخذ غير معجون فهو سفوف، بفتح السين، مثل سفوف حب الرمان ونحوه

And every medicine taken not as a paste is a sufuf, with a fatha on the sin, like powdered pomegranate seeds and the like.

واقتماح كل شيء يابس سف

And taking any dry thing by mouth is saf.

وقال أبو زيد: سففت الماء أسفه سفا وسفته أسفته سفتا إذا أكثرت منه وأنت في ذلك لا تروى

And Abu Zayd said: I drank the water copiously, asfahuhu safan, and I drank it, asiftuhu saftan, if you drink a lot of it and still remain unquenched.

والسفة: القمحة

And as-safah: the scoop/handful.

والسفة: فعل مرة

And as-safah: a single act.

الجوهري: سفة من السويق، بالضم، أي حبة منه وقبضة

Al-Jawhari: a safah of gruel, with a damma, meaning a grain or handful of it.

قالت له امرأة: ما في بيتك سفة ولا هفة

A woman said to him: There is no woven item in your house, neither safah nor hafah.

أسف الجرح الدواء: حشاه به، وأسف الوشم بالنؤور: حشاه، وأسفه إياه كذلك

He stuffed the wound with medicine: he filled it with it, and he filled the tattoo with pigment: he filled it, and he stuffed it with it likewise.

أو كالوشوم أسفتها يمانية ... من حضرموت نؤورا، وهو ممزوج

Or like tattoos that a Yemeni woman stuffed... with pigment from Hadramawt, which was mixed.

فكأنما أسف وجه رسول الله، صلى الله عليه وسلم ، أي تغير وجهه واكمد كأنما ذر عليه شيء غيره

It was as if the face of the Messenger of God, peace be upon him, had changed color, meaning his face became dark as if something else had been dusted upon it.

إن كان كذلك فكأنما تسفهم المل ؛ المل: الرماد الحار، أي تجعل وجوههم كلون الرماد

If that is so, it is as if you are feeding them hot embers; al-mull: hot ashes, meaning making their faces the color of ashes.

وفي حديث آخر: سف الملة خير من ذلك

And in another hadith: taking the embers is better than that.

والسفوف: سواد اللثة

And as-sufuf: the blackness of the gums.

وسففت الخوص أسفه، بالضم سفا وأسففته إسفافا أي نسجته بعضه في بعض

And I wove the palm fronds, asfahuhu safan, with a damma, and I wove them isfāfan, meaning I interlaced some of them into others.

ومننه قيل لتصدير الرحل سفيف لأنه معترض كسفيف الخوص

And from this, the front part of the saddle is called safif because it is transverse like the weaving of palm fronds.

والسفة ما سف من الخوص وجعل مقدار الزبيل والجلة

And as-safah is what is woven from palm fronds and made the size of a basket or large basket.

أبو عبيد: رملت الحصير وأرملته وسففته وأسففته معناه كله نسجته

Abu Ubayd: I wove the mat, and arSALTuhu, and safaftuhu, and asSALTuhu, all meaning I wove it.

لا بأس بالسفة ؛ السفة: شيء من القرامل تضعه المرأة على رأسها وفي شعرها ليطول

There is no harm in as-safah; as-safah: something made of woven material that a woman places on her head and in her hair to make it longer.

وسفيفة من خوص: نسيجة من خوص

And a safifa of palm fronds: a woven piece of palm fronds.

والسفيفة: الدوخلة من الخوص قبل أن ترمل أي تنسج

And as-safifa: the palm frond basket before it is woven.

والسفة العرقة من الخوص المسف

And as-safah is the strip of woven palm frond.

وأنشد: بردا تسف لثاته بالإثمد

And he recited: Two garments whose edges are dyed with kohl.

والسفيفة: بطان عريض يشد به الرحل

And as-safifa: a wide girth by which the saddle is secured.

والسفيف: حزام الرحل والهودج

And as-safiif: the strap of the saddle and the howdah.

والسفائف ما عرض من الأغراض، وقيل: هي جميعها

And as-safa'if are the wide parts of things, and it is said: they are all of them.

وأسف الطائر والسحابة وغيرهما: دنا من الأرض

And a bird, cloud, or other thing approached: drew near to the earth.

دان مسف، فويق الأرض هيدبه، ... يكاد يدفعه من قام بالراح

Close, its trailing part near the ground... almost pushing away whoever stands with a breeze.

وأسف الفحل: أمال رأسه للعضيض

And the stallion approached: tilted its head towards the fodder.

وأسف إلى مداق الأمور وألائمها: دنا

And he approached the subtleties of matters and their congruities: he drew near.

أسف الرجل أي تتبع مداق الأمور

A man approached: meaning he pursued the subtleties of matters.

لكني أسففت إذ أسفوا ؛ أسف الطائر إذا دنا من الأرض في طيرانه

But I approached when they approached; a bird approaches when it draws near to the earth in its flight.

وأسف الرجل الأمر إذا قاربه

And a man approached the matter if he drew near to it.

أسف: أحد النظر، زاد الفارسي: وصوب إلى الأرض

He looked intently: he fixed his gaze, and Al-Farisi added: and directed it downwards.

أنه كره أن يسف الرجل النظر إلى أمه أو ابنته أو أخته أي يحد النظر إليهن ويديمه

That he disliked a man looking intently at his mother, daughter, or sister, meaning to fix his gaze upon them and sustain it.

والإسفاف شدة النظر وحدته؛ وكل شيء لزم شيئا ولصق به، فهو مسف

And al-isfāf is the intensity and sharpness of the gaze; and everything that adheres to something and sticks to it, it is musaff.

والطائر يسف إذا طار على وجه الأرض

And a bird flies low if it flies close to the ground.

وسفيف أذني الذئب: حدتهما

And the safif of a wolf's ears: their sharpness.

والسف والسف من الحيات الشجاع

And as-saff and as-saff are names for the brave snake.

والسف والسف: حية تطير في الهواء

And as-saff and as-saff: a snake that flies in the air.

وحتى لو ان السف ذا الريش عضني، ... لما ضرني من فيه ناب ولا ثعر

And even if the feathered saff were to bite me, ... no fang or venom from its mouth would harm me.

وسفسفت ملاح هيف ذابلا

And a light wind blew, making a withered one fly.

والسفساف: ما دق من التراب

And as-safsaf: what is fine of the dust.

والمسفسفة: الريح التي تثيره

And al-musfasifah: the wind that stirs it.

وهاج بسفساف التراب عقيمها

And its barrenness was stirred by the fine dust.

إذا مساحيج الرياح السفن ... سفسفن في أرجاء خاو مزمن

When the sieves of the winds sifted... they sifted in the corners of a vast, ancient place.

وسفساف الشعر: رديئه

And safsaf of poetry: its bad quality.

وشعر سفساف: رديء

And safsaf poetry: bad.

وسفساف الأخلاق: رديئها

And safsaf of morals: their bad quality.

إن الله تبارك وتعالى يحب معالي الأمور ويبغض سفسافها ؛ أراد مداق الأمور وملائمها، شبهت بما دق من سفساف التراب

Indeed, God Almighty loves noble matters and detests their trivialities; he meant the subtleties and congruities of matters, likened to what is fine from the dust.

وإذا دفنت أباك، فاجعل ... فوقه خشبا وطينا ليقين وجه الأمر سفساف ... التراب، ولن يقينا

And when you bury your father, place... wood and earth above him to ensure the matter is like the fine dust... and it will not protect us.

والسفساف: الرديء من كل شيء، والأمر الحقير وكل عمل دون الإحكام سفساف، وقد سفسف عمله

And as-safsaf: the bad of everything, and the trivial matter, and every action short of perfection is safsaf, and his work was made trivial.

إن الله رضي لكم مكارم الأخلاق وكره لكم سفسافها ؛ السفساف: الأمر الحقير والرديء من كل شيء، وهو ضد المعالي والمكارم، وأصله ما يطير من غبار الدقيق إذا نخل والتراب إذا أثير

Indeed, God is pleased with noble morals for you and dislikes their trivialities for you; as-safsaf: the trivial matter and the bad of everything, and it is the opposite of nobility and high morals, and its origin is what flies from flour dust when sifted and dust when stirred.

إني أخاف عليك سفاسفه ؛ قال ابن الأثير: هكذا أخرجه أبو موسى في السين والفاء ولم يفسره

I fear for you its trivialities; Ibn al-Athir said: Abu Musa transmitted it thus in the sin and fa' and did not explain it.

والمسفسف: اللئيم الطبيعة

And al-musfasif: the mean-spirited one.

والسفسف: ضرب من النبات

And as-sifsif: a type of plant.

والسفيف: اسم من أسماء إبليس، وفي نسخة: السفسف من أسماء إبليس

And as-safif: one of the names of Iblis, and in one version: as-sifsif is among the names of Iblis.

سف تفعل، ساكنة الفاء، أي سوف تفعل

Saf' (with a silent fa') means 'sawfa' (you will do).