عكف على الشيء يعكف ويعكف عكفا وعكوفا: أقبل عليه مواظبا لا يصرف عنه وجهه
He devoted himself to the thing, he devotes and he devotes, a devotion and a staying; he turned towards it persistently, not diverting his face from it.
وقيل: أقام
And it was said: he stayed.
ومنه قوله تعالى: يعكفون على أصنام لهم ، أي يقيمون
And from this is His saying, the Almighty: 'They stay devoted to idols they have' - meaning, they stay.
ومنه قوله تعالى: ظلت عليه عاكفا ، أي مقيما
And from this is His saying, the Almighty: 'I remained devoted to it' - meaning, remaining.
يقال: فلان عاكف على فرج حرام
It is said: So-and-so is devoted to a forbidden private part.
قال العجاج يصف ثورا: فهن يعكفن به إذا حجا، ... عكف النبيط يلعبون الفنزجا
Al-A'raj said, describing a bull: 'They (female animals) devote themselves to it when it bellows... The Nabataean women devoted themselves to it playing the Fanzaja.'
وعكفت الخيل بقائدها إذا أقبلت عليه
And the horses devoted themselves to their leader when they turned towards him.
وعكفت الطير بالقتيل، فهي عكوف
And the birds gathered around the dead body, so they are gathered.
تذب عنه كف بها رمق طيرا ... عكوفا، كزور العرس
A hand with a lingering breath repels from it birds... gathered, like the gathering for a wedding feast.
وعكف يعكف ويعكف عكفا وعكوفا: لزم المكان
And he stayed, he stays and he stays, a staying and a staying; he adhered to the place.
والعكوف: الإقامة في المسجد
And al-'ukuf: staying in the mosque.
قال الله تعالى: وأنتم عاكفون في المساجد
Allah the Almighty said: 'And you are staying in the mosques.'
ويقال لمن لازم المسجد وأقام على العبادة فيه: عاكف ومعتكف
And it is said of one who stays in the mosque and perseveres in worship therein: 'a devoted one' and 'one in seclusion'.
والاعتكاف والعكوف: الإقامة على الشيء وبالمكان ولزومهما
And al-i'tikaf and al-'ukuf: staying with a thing and in a place, and adhering to them.
وروي عن النبي، صلى الله عليه وسلم، أنه كان يعتكف في المسجد
And it is narrated from the Prophet, peace be upon him, that he used to stay in seclusion in the mosque.
والاعتكاف: الاحتباس
And al-i'tikaf: confinement.
وعكفوا حول الشيء: استداروا
And they circled around the thing: they moved in a circle.
وقوم عكوف: مقيمون
And a people who are 'ukuf: residents.
فهن عكوف، كنوح الكريم، ... قد شف أكبادهن الهوى
So they are staying, like the gathering of the noble one... their livers are consumed by desire.
وعكفه عن حاجته يعكفه ويعكفه عكفا: صرفه وحبسه
And He prevented him from his need, He prevents him and He prevents him, a prevention; He turned him away and confined him.
ويقال: إنك لتعكفني عن حاجتي أي تصرفني عنها
And it is said: 'You indeed prevent me from my need,' meaning, you turn me away from it.
يقال عكفته عكفا فعكف يعكف عكوفا، وهو لازم وواقع كما يقال رجعته فرجع، إلا أن مصدر اللازم العكوف، ومصدر الواقع العكف
It is said: I prevented him a prevention, so he was prevented, he is prevented with 'ukuf, and it is intransitive and transitive, just as it is said: I made him return, so he returned, except that the masdar of the intransitive is al-'ukuf, and the masdar of the transitive is al-'akf.
وأما قوله تعالى: والهدي معكوفا ، فإن مجاهدا وعطاء قالا محبوسا
And as for His saying, the Almighty: 'And the sacrificial animal held back' - then Mujahid and Ata said: confined.
قال الفراء: يقال عكفته أعكفه عكفا إذا حبسته
Al-Farra' said: It is said, 'I prevented him a prevention' if you confined him.
وقد عكفت القوم عن كذا أي حبستهم
And you have prevented the people from such-and-such, meaning you have confined them.
ويقال: ما عكفك عن كذا؟
And it is said: What prevented you from such-and-such?
وعكف النظم: نضد فيه الجوهر؛ قال الأعشى: وكأن السموط عكفها السلك ... بعطفي جيداء أم غزال
And 'akafa the arrangement: jewels were set in it; Al-A'sha said: 'And it is as if the necklaces, the string confined them... on the sides of a graceful gazelle-like woman.'
أي حبسها ولم يدعها تتفرق
Meaning, it confined them and did not let them scatter.
والمعكف: المعوج المعطف
And al-ma'kaf: the bent, the curved.
وعكيف: اسم
And 'Ukaiyf: a name.