برثن

Root entry · 5 derived lemmas

This root primarily concerns the claw or paw of a predator, particularly a lion. It extends to describe the entire foot with digits and is metaphorically used for human fingers or the strength and power of a tribe. It also appears as a proper noun for a tribe and a place name.

Derived headwords

البِرْثِنnoun

1.
Lion's clawboth
The claw of a lion, or more generally, the paw of a wild beast, analogous to a human finger.
2.
Entire pawclassical
The entire foot of a beast, including the digits.

البَراثِنnoun

1.
Claws (plural)both
The plural of 'birthin', referring to the claws of lions and other predators.
2.
Fingers (metaphorical)classical
Metaphorically used for the fingers of humans, especially in the context of bees.

كأن براثنه الأشافي — As if its claws were the 'ashafi' (a type of sandal strap or perhaps a red color).

يبسط براثنه ويثنيها في سباحته — Spreading and folding its paws in its swimming.

برثنname

1.
Tribe nameclassical
A name of a tribe, specifically mentioned as being from Banu Asad.

يال برثن منكم — O people of Birthin, from you...

برثنتهاnoun

1.
Its claws/powerclassical
Referring to the claws of a tribe, metaphorically meaning their strength and power.

تميم برثمتها وجرثمتها — Tamim with its 'birthama' and 'jarthama' (interpreted as claws/power and lineage/roots).

برثانname

1.
Place nameclassical
A valley on the route of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to Badr.

Parallel reading

البرثن: مخلب الأسد، وقيل: هو للسبع كالإصبع للإنسان

The 'birthin': the claw of the lion, and it is said: it is to the beast like the finger is to the human.

وقيل: البرثن الكف بكمالها مع الأصابع.

And it is said: the 'birthin' is the entire hand with the fingers.

الليث: البراثن أظفار مخالب الأسد

Al-Layth said: 'Al-barathin' are the nails of the lion's claws.

يقال: كأن براثنه الأشافي.

It is said: 'as if its claws were the Ashafi'.

وقال أبو زيد: البرثن مثل الإصبع، والمخلب ظفر البرثن؛

And Abu Zayd said: the 'birthin' is like the finger, and the claw is the nail of the 'birthin'.

وترى الضب خفيفا ماهرا، ... رافعا برثنه ما ينعفر

And you see the lizard agile and skillful, ... raising its paw so that it does not touch the dust.

والمشهور في شعر امرئ القيس: ثانيا برثنه، يصف مطرا كثيرا أخرج الضب من جحره، فعام في الماء ماهرا في سباحته يبسط براثنه ويثنيها في سباحته، وقوله ما ينعفر أي لا يصيب براثنه التراب، وهو العفر،

And what is famous in the poetry of Imru' al-Qays is: 'folding its paw', describing abundant rain that drove the lizard out of its burrow, so it swam skillfully in the water, spreading and folding its paws in its swimming, and his saying 'ma yun'afiru' means its paws do not touch the dust, which is the 'afar'.

والبراثن للسباع كلها، وهي من السباع والطير بمنزلة الأصابع من الإنسان؛

And the 'barathin' are for all beasts of prey, and they are to beasts and birds like fingers are to humans.

وقد تستعار البراثن لأصابع الإنسان كما قال ساعدة ابن جؤية يذكر النحل ومشتار العسل:

And the 'barathin' may be metaphorically used for human fingers, as Sa'idah ibn Ju'ayyah said, mentioning bees and the honey collector:

حتى أشب لها، وطال أبابها، ... ذو رجلة شتن البراثن جحنب

Until he reached them, and their entrance became long, ... a man of short stature with rough paws (or fingers).

والجحنب: القصير، وليس يهجوه وإنما أراد أنه مجتمع الخلق.

And 'al-juhnub': the short one, and he is not insulting him, but rather he meant that he is compact in build.

وفي حديث القبائل: سئل عن مضر فقال: تميم برثمتها وجرثمتها ؛

And in the hadith about the tribes: he was asked about the tribe of Mudar, and he said: 'Tamim with its 'birthama' and 'jarthama'.

قال الخطابي: إنما هو برثنتها، بالنون، أي مخالبها، يريد شوكتها وقوتها، والميم والنون يتعاقبان، فيجوز أن تكون الميم لغة، ويجوز أن تكون بدلا لازدواج الكلام في الجرثومة كما قال الغدايا والعشايا.

Al-Khattabi said: it is actually 'birthantaha', with a noon, meaning its claws, intending its might and power, and the mim and noon are interchangeable, so it is permissible for the mim to be a dialectal variation, and it is permissible for it to be a substitution for the sake of rhyming with 'al-jarthuma' as in 'al-ghadayā' and 'al-'ashāyā'.

والبرثن لما لم يكن من سباع الطير مثل الغراب والحمام. وقد يكون للضب والفأر واليربوع.

And the 'birthin' is for what is not among the birds of prey like the crow and the pigeon. And it can be for the lizard, the mouse, and the jerboa.

برثن: قبيلة؛ أنشد سيبويه لقيس بن الملوح: لخطاب ليلى، يال برثن منكم، ... أدل وأمضى من سليك المقانب

'Birthin': a tribe; Sibawayh recited for Qays ibn al-Mulawwah: For Layla's address, O people of Birthin, from you... more guiding and more decisive than Sulayk al-Maqanib.

غيره: برثن حي من بني أسد؛ قال: وقال قران الأسدي: لزوار ليلى، منكم آل برثن، ... على الهول أمضى من سليك المقانب

Others: Birthin is a clan from Banu Asad; he said: And Qarin al-Asadi said: For those who visit Layla, from you are the family of Birthin... more decisive in the face of terror than Sulayk al-Maqanib.

تزورونها ولا أزور نساءكم، ... ألهفي لأولاد الإماء الحواطب

You visit them and I do not visit your women... Alas for the children of the firewood-gathering slave women.

قال: والمشهور في الرواية الأول، جعل اهتداءهم لفساد زوجته كاهتداء سليك بن السلكة في سيره في الفلوات.

He said: And what is famous in the narration is the first, he made their guidance towards the corruption of his wife like the guidance of Sulayk ibn al-Sulka in his journey in the deserts.

وفي النهاية لابن الأثير: برثان، بفتح الباء وسكون الراء، واد في طريق رسول الله، صلى الله عليه وسلم، إلى بدر، قال: وقيل في ضبطه غير ذلك.

And in Al-Nihayah by Ibn al-Athir: 'Birthan', with a fatha on the ba and sukun on the ra, is a valley on the path of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, to Badr, he said: And other pronunciations have been mentioned for it.