زحف

Root entry · 14 derived lemmas

The root زحف (z-h-f) primarily denotes slow, creeping, or dragging movement, often associated with ground-level locomotion. It extends to describe the movement of armies, the trajectory of projectiles, and the unsteady gait of animals or people when exhausted. The concept also encompasses the spread of fire.

Derived headwords

زَحَفَverb

1.
he crawled towards himboth
he crawled towards him

زحف إليه زحفا — He moved towards him by crawling or advancing slowly.

زَحْفًاnoun

1.
crawlingboth
The act of moving slowly on the ground, by crawling.
2.
advancementboth
The act of advancing, especially of an army.

زاحِفadjective

1.
crawlingboth
That which crawls or moves slowly on the ground.
2.
creepingclassical
Describing something that moves slowly and steadily, like a projectile that falls short and then moves towards the target.

والزاحف: السهم يقع دون الغرض ثم يزحف إليه — And the zāḥif: an arrow that falls short of the target then creeps towards it.

زَحْفnoun

1.
he crawled towards himboth
he crawled towards him

والزحف: الجيش يزحفون إلى العدو — And al-zaḥf: the army, they advance towards the enemy.

والصبي يزحف على الأرض قبل أن يمشى — And the child crawls on the ground before walking.

زَوَاحِفnoun

1.
crawlersboth
Things that crawl, often used for animals like reptiles.
2.
slow-moving beastsclassical
Camels or other beasts of burden that move slowly, especially when tired.

على زواحف نزجيها محاسير — on slow-moving beasts we urge them on, with swift riders.

زاحِفَةnoun

1.
crawlerboth
A single creature or thing that crawls.
2.
slow-moving camelclassical
A camel that drags its legs when walking due to exhaustion.

وهي إيل زواحف، الواحدة زاحفة — and they are crawling camels, the singular is zāḥifah.

أَزْحَفَverb

1.
to become exhaustedclassical
Said of a camel or beast of burden when it becomes tired and moves slowly.
2.
to cause to crawlclassical
To make something move slowly or crawl.

وأزحف البعير فهو مزحف — And the camel became exhausted, so it is muzḥaf.

وأزحف الرجل، إذا أعيا بعيره أو دابته — And the man became exhausted, if his camel or mount became tired.

مُزْحَفadjective

1.
exhaustedclassical
Describing a camel or beast of burden that is tired and moves slowly.

وأزحف البعير فهو مزحف — And the camel became exhausted, so it is muzḥaf.

مِزْحَافadjective

1.
habitually slow-movingclassical
Describing a camel or beast of burden that is habitually slow or prone to exhaustion.

مُزَاحِفnoun

1.
slow-moving onesclassical
Used to describe camels or other animals that move slowly, especially when tired.

على جون مزاحيف — on dark, slow-moving (camels).

مَزَاحِفnoun

1.
tracksclassical
The trails or paths made by snakes or other creeping creatures.

مزاحف الحيات: مواضع مدبها — Mazāḥif of snakes: the places where they crawl.

تَزَحَّفَverb

1.
he walked slowly towards himboth
he walked slowly towards him

وتزحف إليه، أي تمشى — And tazḥafu ilayhi, meaning to walk towards it slowly.

زَحُوفadjective

1.
dragging its legsclassical
Describing a female camel that drags its legs when walking.

والزحوف من النوق: التي تجرر رجليها إذا مشت — And al-zuḥūf among female camels: those that drag their legs when they walk.

نار الزحفتينnoun

1.
fast-burning fireclassical
Fire that spreads quickly, named after plants like Shīḥ and Alā' which ignite rapidly.

ونار الزحفتين: نار الشيح والألاء، لأنه يسرع الاشتعال فيهما فيزحف عنهما — And Nār al-zaḥfatayn: the fire of Shīḥ and Alā', because it ignites quickly in them and spreads from them.

Parallel reading

زحف إليه (2) زحفا: مشى.

He moved towards him (2) by crawling or advancing slowly: he walked.

ويقال: زحف الدبا، إذا مضى قدما.

And it is said: the locusts advanced, if they moved forward.

والزاحف: السهم يقع دون الغرض ثم يزحف إليه.

And the zāḥif: an arrow that falls short of the target then creeps towards it.

والزحف: الجيش يزحفون إلى العدو.

And al-zaḥf: the army, they advance towards the enemy.

والصبي يزحف على الأرض قبل أن يمشى.

And the child crawls on the ground before walking.

والبعير إذا أعيا فجر فرسنه يقال هو يزحف، وهي إيل زواحف، الواحدة زاحفة.

And the camel, if it becomes exhausted, its gait becomes slow, it is said it is crawling, and they are crawling camels, the singular is zāḥifah.

مستقبلين شمال الشام تضربنا بحاصب كنديف القطن منثور على عمائمنا تلقى وأرحلنا على زواحف نزجيها محاسير

Facing the north of Sham, a hailstorm strikes us like scattered cotton tufts upon our turbans, you find our mounts are slow-moving beasts we urge them on, with swift riders.

وكذلك أزحف البعير فهو مزحف.

And likewise the camel became exhausted, so it is muzḥaf.

وإذا كان ذلك عادته فهو مزحاف، قال أبو زبيد الطأيى:

And if that is its habit, it is mazḥāf, Abu Zubayd al-Ṭāʾī said:

كأن أوب مساحي (1) القوم فوقهم طير تعيف (2) على جون مزاحيف

As if the return of the people's water-drawers above them were birds alighting on dark, slow-moving (camels).

وأزحف الرجل، إذا أعيا بعيره أو دابته.

And the man became exhausted, if his camel or mount became tired.

مزاحف الحيات: مواضع مدبها.

Mazāḥif of snakes: the places where they crawl.

كأن مزاحف الحيات فيها قبيل الصبح آثار السياط

As if the tracks of snakes in them, before morning, were the marks of lashes.

وتزحف إليه، أي تمشى.

And tazḥafu ilayhi, meaning to walk towards it slowly.

والزحوف من النوق: التي تجرر رجليها إذا مشت.

And al-zuḥūf among female camels: those that drag their legs when they walk.

ونار الزحفتين: نار الشيح والألاء، لأنه يسرع الاشتعال فيهما فيزحف عنهما.

And Nār al-zaḥfatayn: the fire of Shīḥ and Alā', because it ignites quickly in them and spreads from them.

وقبل لا مرأة من العرب: ما لنا نرا كن رسحا، فقالت: أرسحتنا نار الزحفتين.

And before that, a woman from the Arabs said: 'Why do we see you as slow?', so she replied: 'The fire of the two zāḥfatayn has made us slow.'