← Back to Taj al-Arus

زنجفر

Root entry · 2 derived lemmas

This root primarily concerns a specific red pigment or dye, known as 'zanjafar'. It also relates to a person named al-Zanjafri, who was a poet and derived his name from the craft of making this pigment.

Derived headwords

الزَّنْجَفَرnoun
  1. 1.
    red pigment/dyeboth

    A well-known red pigment used for writing and dyeing. Its properties are compared to those of white lead (isfidaj) or the mineral sharanj.

الزَّنْجَفَرِيّname
  1. 1.
    al-Zanjafriclassical

    A surname referring to Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Ubayd Allah ibn Ahmad al-Baghdadi, a poet known for his eloquent speech, who died in 342 AH. He was named after the craft of making zanjafar.

Parallel reading

الزنجفر، بالضم: صبغ، م
Al-zanjafar, with damma, is a pigment, m.
أي معروف، وهو أحمر يكتب به ويصبغ
Meaning, it is known, and it is a red substance used for writing and dyeing.
قوته كقوة الإسفيداج
Its potency is like the potency of white lead.
وقيل: قوة الشارنج، وهو معدني ومصنوع
And it was said: its potency is like the potency of sharanj, which is mineral and manufactured.
أما المعدني فهو استحالة شيء من الكبريت إلى معدن الزئبق
As for the mineral [type], it is the transformation of something from sulfur into the metal of mercury.
وأما المصنوع فأنواع، وليس هاذا محله
As for the manufactured [type], it has varieties, and this is not its place [to discuss].
وأبو عبد الله محمد بن عبيد الله بن أحمد البغدادي الزنجفري، نسب إلى عمله: شاعر حسن القول، مات سنة 342
And Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Ubayd Allah ibn Ahmad al-Baghdadi al-Zanjafri, who was named after its [the pigment's] making: a poet of fine speech, who died in the year 342.