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خدفل

Root entry · 3 derived lemmas

This root appears to relate to concepts of largeness, abundance, or perhaps a specific type of garment. It is used in proverbs and descriptions of clothing and personal circumstances.

Derived headwords

خدافلnoun
  1. 1.
    large garmentsclassical

    A term used by Abu Amr ibn al-Ala' to describe large or ample garments, possibly cloaks or robes.

خدافلnoun
  1. 1.
    abundanceclassical

    In the context of the proverb, it refers to the abundance or quantity of two cloaks, implying wealth.

خدفلverb
  1. 1.
    to wear a worn shirtclassical

    According to Ibn al-A'rabi, this verb describes a man wearing a worn-out or old shirt.

Parallel reading

أبو عمرو بن العلاء الخدافل المعاوز
Abu Amr ibn al-Ala' [describes] the large garments, the cloaks.
غرني برداك من خدافلي
Two cloaks deceived me from my abundant [wealth/garments].
وأصله أن امرأة رأت على رجل بردين فتزوجته طمعا في يساره فألفته معسرا
And its origin is that a woman saw two cloaks on a man, so she married him, desiring his wealth, but found him to be poor.
خدفل الرجل إذا لبس قميصا خلقا
A man 'khadfila' if he wears a worn-out shirt.