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حفن

Root entry · 7 derived lemmas

This root primarily deals with the concept of grasping, scooping, or taking something with one's hands, often in a small quantity. It extends to meanings of giving a small amount, taking for oneself, and metaphorically, being a small part of a larger whole.

Derived headwords

الحَفْنَةnoun
  1. 1.
    a double handful of foodboth

    a double handful of food

حَفَنَverb
  1. 1.
    he gave him a handful: meaning, he gave him a littleboth

    he gave him a handful: meaning, he gave him a little

احتَفَنَverb
  1. 1.
    he took the thing for himself: he took itboth

    he took the thing for himself: he took it

الحُفْرَةnoun
  1. 1.
    Al-Hufra, with damma, is one (hole).both

    Al-Hufra, with damma, is one (hole).

الحَفَنnoun
  1. 1.
    pits, hollowsboth

    The plural of حفرة (pit, hollow).

الحِفَانnoun
  1. 1.
    ostrich chicksclassical

    The young of ostriches.

  2. 2.
    young camelsclassical

    Sometimes used to refer to young camels, male or female.

حَفَّانَةnoun
  1. 1.
    young camelclassical

    A young camel, used for both male and female.

Parallel reading

الحفنة: ملء الكفين من طعام.
The handful: the filling of the two palms with food.
وإنما نحن حفنة من حفنات الله تعالى، أي يسير بالإضافة إلى ملكه ورحمته.
And indeed, we are but a handful from the handfuls of God Almighty, meaning insignificant in addition to His dominion and mercy.
وحفنت الشيء، إذا جرفته بكلتا يديك.
And you scoop up the thing, if you gather it with both your hands.
ولا يكون إلا من الشئ اليابس، كالدقيق ونحوه.
And it is only of dry things, like flour and the like.
وحفنت لفلان حفنة: أعطيته قليلا.
And you give a handful to someone: you give him a little.
واحتفنت الشيء لنفسي: أخذته.
And I took the thing for myself: I took it.
احتفنت الرجل احتفانا: قلعته من الاصل.
I uprooted the man with an uprooting: I pulled him out from the origin.
والحفنة بالضم: الحفرة، والجمع الحفن.
And al-hafnah (with dammah) is the pit, and its plural is al-hafn.
والحفان: فراخ النعام، وهو من المضاعف.
And al-hifaan: ostrich chicks, and it is from the doubled (root).
وربما سموا صغار الإبل حفانا، الواحدة حفانة، للذكر والانثى جميعا.
And sometimes they name young camels 'hifaan', the singular being 'hafana', for both male and female.