ع ص ف ر

Root entry · 13 derived lemmas

The root ع ص ف ر primarily relates to the color yellow, specifically the safflower plant used for dyeing. It extends to describe things that are yellow or dyed with safflower, and metaphorically to concepts like speed or rebellion. The root also encompasses a bird known as the sparrow, and various objects or parts of objects that share a resemblance to a sparrow or are named after it.

Derived headwords

العُصْفُرnoun

1.
safflowerboth
A plant whose juice is used for dyeing, also known as 'al-qurtum'. It has properties that can break down tough meat.
2.
dyeboth
The yellow dye obtained from the safflower plant.

عَصْفَرَverb

1.
to dye yellowboth
To dye a garment with safflower.

وقد عصفر ثوبه: صبغه به — And he dyed his garment with it.

تَعَصْفَرَverb

1.
to be dyed yellowboth
To become dyed with safflower.

فتعصفر — and it became dyed.

العُصْفُورnoun

1.
sparrowboth
A well-known bird, male. The feminine form is also used.
2.
male locustclassical
The male locust.
3.
wooden part of a howdahclassical
A wooden piece in a howdah that gathers the ends of other wooden parts.
4.
part of a saddleclassical
Wooden pieces in a saddle used to secure the tops of the frame.
5.
nailclassical
The nails that join the head of a saddle frame.
6.
prominent bone on a horse's foreheadclassical
A prominent bone on a horse's forehead, with two on the right and left.
7.
part of the brainclassical
A piece of the brain beneath the main part, separated by a membrane.
8.
forelock streakclassical
A streak of white hair on a horse's forehead that does not reach the muzzle.
9.
bookclassical
A book.
10.
ship's nailclassical
A nail used in shipbuilding.
11.
angelclassical
An angel.
12.
masterclassical
A master or leader.

العَصْفَرِيّname

1.
name of a horseclassical
The name of a famous horse belonging to Muhammad ibn Yusuf al-Thaqafi.

العُصْفُورِيّnoun

1.
two-humped camelclassical
A camel with two humps.

العَصَافِيرnoun

1.
royal camelsclassical
Fine, swift female camels belonging to kings, specifically mentioned as belonging to Al-Nu'man.
2.
plantsclassical
A type of tree called 'He who sees like me', named because its shape resembles sparrows.
3.
tendons on the backclassical
The tendons located on the back.

العُصَيْفِرَةnoun

1.
yellow flowerclassical
The yellow-flowered plant, possibly a diminutive of 'usfur', referring to its color.

العُصْفُورِيّname

1.
epithetboth
An epithet for a person, such as Abu Bakr ibn Mahmud al-Dimashqi, the poet.

عُصَيْفِيرname

1.
epithetclassical
An epithet for a saint, like Sayyidi Ibrahim buried in Bab al-Sha'riyah.

عُصْفُورname

1.
epithetclassical
An epithet for Ali ibn Muhammad al-Sakhawi.

العُصْفُورِيّadjective

1.
promiscuousclassical
A man who has frequent sexual intercourse.

تَصَعْفَرَverb

1.
to twistclassical
The neck twists.

وتعصّفرت العنق، إذا التوت — And the neck twisted, meaning it became contorted.

Parallel reading

العصفر، بالضم: نبات سلافته الجريال، وهي معربة، قاله الأزهري، ومن خواصه أنه يهرئ اللحم الغليظ إذا طرح منه فيه شيء وبزره القرطم كزبرج.

Al-'usfur, with damma: a plant whose juice is yellow, and it is a loanword, according to Al-Azharī. Among its properties is that it softens thick meat if a piece is thrown into it, and its seed is al-qurtum, like topaz.

وفي المحكم: العصفر: هذا الذي يصبغ به، منه ريفي، ومنه بري، وكلاهما ينبت بأرض العرب.

And in Al-Muḥkam: Al-'usfur: this is what is used for dyeing, some is cultivated, and some is wild, and both grow in the land of the Arabs.

وقد عصفر ثوبه: صبغه به، فتعصفر.

And he dyed his garment with it, so it became dyed.

والعصفور بالضم: طائر معروف، ذكر، وهي بهاء، قال شيخنا: تقرر أنه من باب فعلل، فإطلاقه بناء على الشهرة، وقيل: الضم إنما هو مشهور طردا للباب، وأن ابن رشيق حكى أنه يفتح في لغة.

And al-'uṣfūr, with damma: a known bird, male, and it is also used for the feminine. Our Sheikh said: it has been established that it belongs to the pattern 'fa'lal', so its common usage is based on fame. It was also said: the damma is common to follow the pattern, and Ibn Rashiq narrated that it is pronounced with fatha in one dialect.

قال حمزة: سمى عصفورا لأنه عصى وفر.

Hamza said: it is named 'usfūr because it disobeyed and fled.

والعصفور: خشبة في الهودج تجمع أطراف خشبات فيه، هكذا في النسخ.

And al-'uṣfūr: a wooden piece in the howdah that gathers the ends of other wooden pieces within it, as written in the manuscripts.

وفي اللسان: فيها، وزاد: وهي كهيئة عصفور الإكاف، أو الخشبات التي تكون في الرحل يشد بها رؤوس الأحناء.

And in Al-Lisān: within it, and he added: and it is like the shape of the saddle's 'usfūr, or the wooden pieces that are in the saddle with which the tops of the frame are secured.

وفي الحديث: قد حرمت المدينة أن تعضد أو تخبط إلا لعصفور قتب أو مسد محالة أو عصا حديدة.

And in the Hadith: The city is forbidden to be cut or struck except for the 'usfūr of a qatab, or the rope of a pulley, or an iron staff.

قال ابن الأثير: عصفور القتب: أحد عيدانه، وجمعه عصافير.

Ibn Al-Athīr said: 'usfūr al-qatab: one of its wooden sticks, and its plural is 'asāfīr.

وفي المحكم: العصفور: أصل منبت الناصية.

And in Al-Muḥkam: Al-'uṣfūr: the origin of the hair growth of the forelock.

وقيل: هو عظم ناتئ في جبين الفرس وهما عصفوران، يمنة ويسرة.

And it was said: it is a protruding bone on a horse's forehead, and there are two 'uṣfūrān, one on the right and one on the left.

وأنشد: (ضربا يزيل الهام عن سريره ... عن أم فرخ الرأس أوعصفوره)

And he recited: (Strikes that remove heads from their beds... from the mother of the head's chick or its 'uṣfūr).

والعصفور: الشمراخ السائل من غرة الفرس لا يبلغ الخطم.

And al-'uṣfūr: the flowing streak of white hair from a horse's blaze that does not reach the muzzle.

والعصفور: الكتاب، أورده الصاغاني.

And al-'uṣfūr: the book, mentioned by Al-Sāghānī.

والعصفور: مسمار السفينة.

And al-'uṣfūr: the nail of the ship.

والعصفور: الملك.

And al-'uṣfūr: the angel.

والعصفور: السيد، كل ذلك أورده الصاغاني في التكملة.

And al-'uṣfūr: the master, all of this was mentioned by Al-Sāghānī in Al-Takmilah.

والعصافير: شجر يسمى: من رأى مثلي، وإنما سمي به لأنه له صورة كالعصافير، وفي التكملة: له صورة كصورة العصفور، كثيرة بفارس ذكره الأزهري.

And al-'asāfīr: trees called: 'He who sees like me', and it is named so because it has a shape like sparrows, and in Al-Takmilah: it has a shape like the shape of a sparrow, abundant in Fars, mentioned by Al-Azharī.

ومن أمثالهم: نقت عصافير بطنه، كما يقال: نقت ضفادع بطنه وهي عبارة عن الأمعاء.

And among their proverbs: the sparrows of his belly chirped, as it is said: the frogs of his belly chirped, which is an expression for the intestines.

ويقال أيضا: لا تأكل حتى تطير عصافير بطنك، كل ذلك إذا جاع، وهو كناية.

And it is also said: Do not eat until the sparrows of your belly fly, all of this is when one is hungry, and it is a metaphor.

وتعصّفرت العنق، إذا التوت، هكذا ذكره الأزهري، وقال ابن دريد: تصعفرت، بتقديم الصاد على العين، وقد تقدمت الإشارة له.

And the neck twisted, meaning it became contorted, as mentioned by Al-Azharī. Ibn Durayd said: taṣa'farat, with the ṣād before the 'ayn, and it has been previously referred to.

والعصفري: اسم فرس محمد بن يوسف الثقفي أخى الحجاج المشهور، من نسل الحرون بن الخزز ابن الوثيمي بن أعوج، وكان الحرون لمسلم بن عمرو الباهلي، وكان من أبصر الناس بالخيل، ولذا لقب بالسائس، اشتراه بألف دينار، سبق الناس دهرا لا يتعلق به فرس، ثم افتحله فلم ينتج إلا سابقا.

And Al-'Asfarī: the name of the horse of Muhammad ibn Yusuf al-Thaqafi, the brother of the famous Al-Hajjaj, from the lineage of Al-Ḥarūn ibn Al-Khuzaz ibn Al-Wathīmī ibn A'waj. Al-Ḥarūn belonged to Muslim ibn Amr al-Bāhilī, who was one of the most knowledgeable people about horses, hence he was nicknamed 'Al-Sā'is' (the groom). He bought it for a thousand dinars. It outran people for a long time, no horse could catch up to it, then he bred it and it only produced a fast offspring.

والعصفوري: جمل ذو سنامين، قاله أبو عمرو، ونقله عنه الصاغاني والأزهري.

And al-'uṣfūrī: a camel with two humps, said Abu Amr, and it was narrated from him by Al-Sāghānī and Al-Azharī.

وفي الصحاح: عصافير المنذر: إبل كانت للملوك نجائب، وفي التهذيب روى أن النعمان أمر للنابغة بمائة ناقة من عصافيره.

And in Al-Ṣiḥāḥ: 'Asāfīr Al-Mundhir: were swift female camels belonging to kings. In Al-Tahdhīb, it is narrated that Al-Nu'mān ordered Al-Nābighah to be given one hundred female camels from his 'asāfīr.

قال حسان بن ثابت: فما حسدت أحدا حسدي للنابغة حين أمر له النعمان بن المنذر بمائة ناقة بريشها من عصافيره وجام وآنية من فضة.

Hassān ibn Thābit said: I have never envied anyone as much as I envied Al-Nābighah when Al-Nu'mān ibn Al-Mundhir ordered for him one hundred female camels with their trappings from his 'asāfīr, and bowls and silver vessels.

والعصيفرة: الخيرى الأصفر الزهر، كأنه تصغير عصفرة، على التشبيه.

And al-'uṣayfirah: the yellow-flowered plant, as if it were a diminutive of 'usfūrah, by analogy.

والعصافير: ما على السناسن من العصب.

And al-'asāfīr: the nerves on the back.

ومن الأمثال: طارت عصافير رأسه، كناية عن الكبر.

And among the proverbs: the sparrows of his head flew away, a metaphor for arrogance.

وأبو بكر بن محمود بن أبي بكر بن أبي الفضل العمري الدمشقي الشافعي الشهير بالعصفوري، الأديب الشاعر، ولد بدمشق، ورحل إلى مصر وتوطنها، وأخذ بها عن الشمس البابلي، وله ديوان شعر، توفى ببولاق سنة ودفن بتربة الشيخ فرج.

And Abu Bakr ibn Mahmud ibn Abi Bakr ibn Abi Al-Faḍl Al-'Umarī Al-Dimashqī Al-Shāfi'ī, famous as Al-'Aṣfūrī, the man of letters and poet, was born in Damascus, traveled to Egypt and settled there, and studied under Al-Shams Al-Bābilī. He has a collection of poetry, died in Bulāq in the year [year missing] and was buried in the tomb of Sheikh Faraj.

وعصيفير: لقب أحد أولياء مصر، سيدي إبراهيم المدفون بباب الشعرية.

And 'Uṣayfīr: an epithet for one of the saints of Egypt, Sayyidi Ibrahim, buried in Bab al-Sha'riyah.

وعصفور: لقب علي بن محمد بن عبد النصير السخاوي الدمشقي القاهري، كذا رأيته في ذيل تاريخ مصر للشمس السخاوي الحافظ.

And 'Uṣfūr: an epithet for Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Abd Al-Naṣīr Al-Sakhāwī Al-Dimashqī Al-Qāhirī, thus I saw it in the appendix to the history of Egypt by Al-Shams Al-Sakhāwī the preserver of Hadith.

والعصفوري: الرجل الكثير الجماع، أورده الأزهري في تركيب ر ج ل.

And al-'uṣfūrī: a man of frequent sexual intercourse, mentioned by Al-Azharī in the root R-J-L.