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ثفل

Root entry · 4 derived lemmas

This root primarily relates to the lower, settled, or residual part of something, often with connotations of being slow or heavy. It extends to specific objects and actions associated with these meanings, such as grinding stones and eating coarse food.

Derived headwords

الثُفْلnoun
  1. 1.
    lower part, sedimentboth

    That which is low or settled at the bottom of anything.

  2. 2.
    coarse food, grainclassical

    Specifically refers to grain or coarse food, especially when it is the primary sustenance due to a lack of milk, indicating a difficult situation for Bedouins.

مثافلينadjective
  1. 1.
    eating coarse foodclassical

    A state of eating the 'thifl' (grain), implying hardship and lack of milk.

تركت بنى فلان مثافلين — I left the people of so-and-so eating coarse food (i.e., in a state of hardship).
ثُفَالnoun
  1. 1.
    slow, sluggishclassical

    Describes a camel that is slow or sluggish.

الثُفَالnoun
  1. 1.
    grinding stone baseclassical

    A piece of leather spread out, upon which a grinding stone is placed, and the grain is ground by hand to fall onto it.

  2. 2.
    lower millstoneclassical

    The lower stone of a mill, or the stone upon which the upper millstone turns.

Parallel reading

ما سفل من كل شئ
that which is low or settled from anything.
تركت بنى فلان مثافلين
I left the people of so-and-so in a state of eating coarse food.
يعنون الحب
they mean the grain.
وذلك إذا لم يكن لهم لبن مكان طعامهم الحب
and that is when they have no milk to substitute for their food of grain.
وذلك أشد ما يكون حال البدوي
and that is the most severe condition for a Bedouin.
وجمل ثفال بالفتح، أي بطئ
and a camel is thufal (with fatha), meaning slow.
والثفال بالكسر: جلد يبسط فتوضع فوقه الرحى فيطحن باليد ليسقط عليه الدقيق
And ath-thufal (with kasra) is a skin that is spread out, upon which the millstone is placed, and the grain is ground by hand so that the flour falls onto it.
فتعر ككم عرك الرحى بثفالها
So you rub yourselves as the millstone is rubbed with its base.
وربما سمى الحجر الاسفل بذلك
And sometimes the lower stone is called by that name.