هفف

Root entry · 17 derived lemmas

The root هفف primarily relates to lightness, speed, and thinness. This extends to concepts like rapid movement, thin or insubstantial clouds, light clothing, and even a lack of substance in things like honey or crops. It can also denote a specific type of fish or a weak, cowardly person.

Derived headwords

هَفَّverb

1.
to move quicklyboth
To move swiftly or hasten in walking or traveling.
2.
to appear suddenlyclassical
To appear or emerge unexpectedly, often due to scarcity or hardship.
3.
to be lightclassical
To be light or insubstantial.
4.
to be weak/timidclassical
To be weak, timid, or easily swayed.

هف يهف هفيفا: أسرع في السير — He moved quickly, he moved quickly with a quickening: he hastened in his pace.

هَفِيفnoun

1.
quickness of paceboth
The state or quality of moving quickly; speed of travel.
2.
light soundclassical
The light sound of something moving, like wind or wings.

الهفيف: سرعة السير — The hafeef: quickness of pace.

هَافَّةnoun

1.
group of peopleclassical
A group or crowd of people who appear suddenly, often driven by hardship.
2.
cloud without rainclassical
A thin, insubstantial cloud that yields no rain.

وهفت هافة من الناس أي طرأت عن جدب — And a haffa of people appeared, meaning they emerged due to drought.

هَفّadjective

1.
thin (cloud)classical
Describing a cloud that is thin and contains no water.
2.
thin (honeycomb)classical
Describing a honeycomb with little or no honey, or honey that is watery.
3.
light (clothing)classical
Light and easily moved by the wind.
4.
light (person)classical
Light-bodied, agile, or quick.

وغيم هف: لا ماء فيه — And a huff cloud: it has no water in it.

الهُفَّةnoun

1.
cloud without rainclassical
A cloud that is thin and lacks water.
2.
lack of sustenanceclassical
A state of having nothing to drink or eat, implying emptiness.

والله ما في بيتك هفة ولا سفة — By God, there is no huffa (cloud without rain, implying no water) nor suffa (woven basket) in your house.

شَهِدَة هَفّnoun

1.
honeycomb with little honeyclassical
A honeycomb that is thin and contains very little or no honey.

وشهدة هف: لا عسل فيها — And a huff honeycomb: it has no honey in it.

عَسَل هَفّnoun

1.
watery honeyclassical
Honey that is thin and watery, lacking substance.

وعسل هف: رقيق — And huff honey: thin.

الهَفْهَافadjective

1.
shimmeringclassical
Shimmering or gleaming, often due to heat or light.
2.
light (clothing)classical
Very light and thin clothing that moves easily with the wind.
3.
fast-moving (wind)classical
A wind that moves quickly and swiftly.

وثوب هفاف وهفهاف: يخف مع الريح — And a huffaf and hahhaf garment: it is light with the wind.

هَفَّافَةadjective

1.
fast-moving (wind)classical
A wind that moves quickly and swiftly.
2.
cool (shade)classical
Describing a cool, pleasant shade where the wind blows.

وفي حديث علي، كرم الله وجهه، في تفسير السكينة: هي ريح هفافة أي سريعة المرور في هبوبها — And in the hadith of Ali, may God honor his face, in interpreting 'sakinah': it is a haffafa wind, meaning swift in its passing and blowing.

هَفَّهَفَverb

1.
to move lightlyclassical
To move something lightly or cause it to move with a gentle motion.

يهفهفها هيق بجؤشوشه صعل — The hehfeh (moves it) with its chest and neck.

هَفْهَفadjective

1.
cool (shade)classical
Describing a cool, pleasant shade where the wind blows.

وأنشد ابن الأعرابي: أبطح حياشا وظلا هفهفا — And Ibn Al-A'rabi recited: 'A plain with resting places and a hahhaf shade.'

مَهْفْهَفَةadjective

1.
slender (woman)classical
Describing a woman who is slender, with a small belly and narrow waist.

وهي الخميصة البطن الدقيقة الخصر — And she is the one with a small belly and a narrow waist.

الهَفَّافadjective

1.
light (clothing)classical
Describing clothing that is light and thin.
2.
light (person)classical
Describing a person as light or agile.

ورجل هفاف القميص إذا نعت بالخفة — And a man with a hahhaf shirt if described with lightness.

الهَفْيُوفadjective

1.
cowardlyclassical
Describing someone who is cowardly or weak-hearted.
2.
foolishclassical
Describing someone as foolish or stupid.
3.
barren (land)classical
Describing land that is barren, desolate, or empty.

واليهفوف: القفر من الأرض — And al-yahfoof: the desolate land.

هَفّnoun

1.
late-harvested grainclassical
Grain whose harvest is delayed, causing its seeds to scatter.
2.
type of fishclassical
A small type of fish.

والهف: الزرع الذي يؤخر حصاده فينتثر حبه — And al-huff: the crop whose harvest is delayed, so its seeds scatter.

الهَفَّةnoun

1.
type of fishclassical
A small type of fish, also referred to as 'al-hazbi'.
2.
aquatic insectclassical
A small aquatic creature found in stagnant water, also called 'al-damous'.

والهف، بالكسر: جنس من السمك صغار — And al-huff, with kasra: a type of small fish.

هَفْهَافadjective

1.
cool (shade)classical
Describing a cool, pleasant shade where the wind blows.

وظل هفهاف: بارد، والظل الهفاف — And a hahhaf shade: cool, and the hahhaf shade.

Parallel reading

إذا ما نعسنا نعسة قلت غننا ... بخرقاء، وارفع من هفيف الرواحل

When we dozed off for a nap, you said, 'Sing to us... with a light voice, and increase the sound of the camels' swift movement.'

وهفت هافة من الناس أي طرأت عن جدب.

And a haffa of people appeared, meaning they emerged due to drought.

وغيم هف: لا ماء فيه.

And a huff cloud: it has no water in it.

والهف، بالكسر: السحاب الرقيق لا ماء فيه

And al-huff, with kasra: the thin cloud that has no water in it.

وشوذت شمسهم، إذا طلعت ... بالجلب، هفا كأنه كتم

And their sun was obscured, when it rose... with dust, it appeared thin as if it were a veil.

والله ما في بيتك هفة ولا سفة

By God, there is no huffa (cloud without rain, implying no water) nor suffa (woven basket) in your house.

وشهدة هف: لا عسل فيها.

And a huff honeycomb: it has no honey in it.

وعسل هف: رقيق

And huff honey: thin.

كالريط لا هف، ولا هو مخرب

Like fine linen, neither thin nor worn out.

الهف، بغير هاء، الشهدة الرقيقة الخفيفة القليلة العسل.

Al-huff, without the 'ha': the thin, light honeycomb with little honey.

وثوب هفاف وهفهاف: يخف مع الريح

And a huffaf and hahhaf garment: it is light with the wind.

وفي الصحاح: أي رقيق شفاف.

And in Al-Sihah: meaning thin and transparent.

وهفت تهف هفا وهفيفا إذا سمعت صوت هبوبها.

And it blew, it blew with a blowing and a blowing, when you heard the sound of its gusting.

هي ريح هفافة أي سريعة المرور في هبوبها.

It is a haffafa wind, meaning swift in its passing and blowing.

ورجل هفاف القميص إذا نعت بالخفة

And a man with a hahhaf shirt if described with lightness.

وأبيض هفاف القميص أخذته، ... فجئت به للقوم مغتصبا قسرا

And a white hahhaf-shirted one I took, ... and brought him to the people, seized by force.

يهفهفها هيق بجؤشوشه صعل

The hehfeh (moves it) with its chest and neck.

ويلحفهن هفهافا ثخينا

And covers them with a thick hahhaf (wing).

وظل هفهف: بارد تهف فيه الريح

And a hahhaf shade: cool, where the wind blows.

والهفهافان: الجناحان لخفتهما

And al-hahhafān: the two wings, due to their lightness.

وغرفة هفافة وهفهافة: مظلة باردة.

And a haffafa and hahhafah chamber: a cool shelter.

ويقال للجارية الهيفاء: مهففة ومهفهفة وهي الخميصة البطن الدقيقة الخصر

And the slender woman is called mahfafa and mahhaphapha, and she is the one with a small belly and a narrow waist.

ورجل هفهاف ومهفهف كذلك

And a man hahhaf and mahhaphf similar to that.

مهفهفة بيضاء غير مفاضة

A mahhaphapha, white, not wide-hipped.

والهف: الزرع الذي يؤخر حصاده فينتثر حبه

And al-huff: the crop whose harvest is delayed, so its seeds scatter.

واليهفوف: القفر من الأرض.

And al-yahfoof: the desolate land.

طائره حدا بقلب يهفوف

His bird drove him with a cowardly heart.

ورجل هف: خفيف.

And a huff man: light.

هل كان إلا حمارا هفا؟

Was he anything but a light-headed donkey?

كانت الأرض هفا على الماء أي قلقة لا تستقر

The earth was huffa upon the water, meaning unstable, not settled.

ما أحسن هفة الورق ورقته، وهي إبردته.

How beautiful is the huffa of the leaves and their thinness, and it is their coolness.

والظل الهفاف.

And the hahhaf shade.

وزقاق الهفة: موضع من البطيحة كثير القصباء فيه مخترق للسفن.

And Zuqāq al-Huffa: a place in the marshland with much reed, through which boats pass.

والهف، بالكسر: جنس من السمك صغار.

And al-huff, with kasra: a type of small fish.

الهف الهازبى، مقصور، وهو السمك، واحدته هفة.

Al-huff is al-hazbi, shortened, and it is fish, its singular is huffa.

يقال للهف الحساس

It is said of al-huff al-hassas.

كان بعض العباد يفطر كل ليلة على هفة يشويها

Some worshippers used to break their fast every night with a huffa that they would grill.

هو بالكسر والفتح، نوع من السمك، وقيل: هو الدعموص وهي دويبة تكون في مستنقع الماء.

It is with kasra and fatha, a type of fish, and it was said: it is al-damous, which is a small creature found in stagnant water.