لفا

Root entry · 9 derived lemmas

This root primarily concerns the concepts of finding, encountering, and losing something. It also extends to meanings of stripping away, being meager or worthless, and acting foolishly.

Derived headwords

لَفَاverb

1.
to strip meat from boneclassical
To peel or strip the flesh away from a bone.

لُفَاةnoun

1.
foolclassical
An ignorant or foolish person, derived from the idea of meat being stripped away, with the 'ta' for exaggeration.

أَلْفَىverb

1.
to findboth
To find something, to come across it, or to encounter it.
2.
to come uponboth
To arrive at a certain state or condition, often used with time.

ألفى الشيء — found the thing

ما ألفاه السحر عندي إلا نائما — the morning found him (i.e., it was morning) but he was asleep

تَلَافَىverb

1.
to missclassical
To fail to find or encounter something; to overlook it.
2.
to make up forclassical
To recover or retrieve something that was lost or missed; to make amends for.

تلافاه افتقده وتداركه — he missed it and then recovered it

إِلْفَاءnoun

1.
findingclassical
The act of finding, encountering, or meeting something.

لَفْيnoun

1.
something cast asideclassical
An object that is discarded or left lying around, as if found or missed.

أَلْفَاءnoun

1.
discarded thingsclassical
Plural of 'lafiyy', referring to things that are cast aside or left lying around.

لِفَاءnoun

1.
worthless thingclassical
The base or worthless part of anything; anything small and insignificant.
2.
meager shareclassical
A small or insufficient portion of something, especially one's due.

رضي فلان من الوفاء باللفاء — so-and-so was content with a meager share of his due instead of the full amount

لَفَاهُ حَقَّهُverb phrase

1.
to cheat someone of their dueclassical
To deprive someone of their rightful share or due, to shortchange them.

Parallel reading

قشره كلفأه.

He stripped its flesh as if he were stripping meat from a bone.

واللفاة: الأحمق، فعلة من قولهم لفوت اللحم، والهاء للمبالغة، زعموا.

And 'al-lufāt': the fool, a pattern from their saying 'lafūta al-lahm' (stripping of meat), and the 'ha' is for exaggeration, they claim.

وألفى الشيء: وجده.

And 'alfā al-shay': he found the thing.

وتلافاه: افتقده وتداركه

And 'talāfāhu': he missed it and then recovered it.

يخبرني أني به ذو قرابة، ... وأنبأته أني به متلافي

He informs me that I have kinship with him, ... and I informed him that I would recover it (my rights/revenge).

معناه أني لأدرك به ثأري.

Its meaning is that I will achieve my revenge through it.

لا ألفين أحدكم متكئا على أريكته

Let me not find any of you reclining on his couch.

يقال: ألفيت الشيء ألفيه إلفاء إذا وجدته وصادفته ولقيته.

It is said: 'alfaytu al-shay' (I found the thing) - 'alfayhi ilfā'an' if you found it, encountered it, and met it.

ما ألفاه السحر عندي إلا نائما

The morning found him (i.e., it was morning) but he was asleep.

تعني بعد صلاة الليل، والفعل فيه للسحر.

She meant after the night prayer, and the verb in this context refers to the morning.

واللفى: الشيء المطروح كأنه من ألفيت أو تلافيت، والجمع ألفاء وألفه ياء لأنها لام.

And 'al-lafā': the thing cast aside as if from 'alfaytu' (I found) or 'talāfaytu' (I missed), and its plural is 'alfā', and its 'ya' is because it is a 'lam'.

اللفاء الخسيس من كل شيء، وكل شيء يسير حقير فهو لفاء

Al-lifā' is the base part of everything, and anything small and insignificant is 'lifā'

وما أنا بالضعيف فتظلموني، ... ولا حظي اللفاء ولا الخسيس

And I am not weak so that you may wrong me, ... nor is my share the meager or the base.

رضي فلان من الوفاء باللفاء

So-and-so was content with a meager share of his due instead of the full amount.

ويقال: لفاه حقه أي بخسه

And it is said: 'lafāhu ḥaqqahu' means he cheated him of his due.

وإنما هو مشتق من لفأت العظم إذا أخذت بعض لحمه عنه.

And it is derived from 'lafā'tu al-'aẓm' (I stripped the bone) when you take some of its flesh from it.