س ف ط

Root entry · 13 derived lemmas

This root primarily relates to containers, baskets, and bags used for packing goods, especially perfumes and women's items. It also extends to meanings of being generous, noble, or well-formed, and metaphorically to things that are empty or insignificant. The root also denotes specific geographical locations in Egypt.

Derived headwords

السَّفْطnoun

1.
Container for perfumesboth
A container, often like a basket or bag, used for packing perfumes and similar items for women.
2.
Basketclassical
A type of basket, similar to a large bag (جوالق) or a basket (قفة).

هلا جعلتم رسول الله في سفط ... من الألوة أصدا ملبسا ذهبا — Why did you not place the Messenger of God in a container... of aloeswood, perfumed and covered with gold?

أسْفَاطnoun

1.
Plural of سفطboth
The plural form of سفط, referring to multiple containers or baskets.

سَفَطَverb

1.
To line or plaster a basinclassical
To reinforce, repair, and plaster a basin or pond.
2.
To peel a fishclassical
To remove the outer skin or scales from a fish.

سفط فلان حوضه تسفيطا، إذا شرفه وأصلحه ولاطه — So-and-so lined his basin, meaning he reinforced, repaired, and plastered it.

تَسْفِيطnoun

1.
Lining a basinclassical
The act of reinforcing, repairing, and plastering a basin or pond.

سفط فلان حوضه تسفيطا، إذا شرفه وأصلحه ولاطه — So-and-so lined his basin, meaning he reinforced, repaired, and plastered it.

سَفِيطadjective

1.
Generousboth
Having a good disposition, generous, or open-handed.
2.
Nobleclassical
Noble in spirit, eager for good deeds and generous.
3.
Insignificantclassical
Having no قدر (value or status); insignificant.
4.
Falling datesclassical
Referring to dates that fall prematurely from a green cluster.

ماذا ترجين من الأريط حزنبل يأتيك بالبطيط ليس بذي حزم ولا سفيط — What do you hope for from Haznabil the boastful, who brings you empty talk, not possessing resolve nor generosity?

سَفَاطَةnoun

1.
Household goodsclassical
The furnishings and belongings of a house.
2.
Cheerfulnessclassical
Good spirits, cheerfulness, or lightheartedness.

سَفَطname

1.
Place nameboth
A name for numerous villages and locations in Egypt.

سفط أبي جرجى، من البهنساوية — Sifṭ Abī Jurjā, from the Bahnasa region.

السَّفَطِيّname

1.
Person from Siftboth
A nisba (attribution) indicating someone from a place named Sift.

مرهف بن صارم بن فلاح الجذامي السفطي — Murhaf bin Sarim bin Fallah al-Judhami al-Sifṭi.

اسْتَفَاطَverb

1.
To sipclassical
The act of sipping or drinking something in small amounts.

الاستفاط: الاشتفاف — Al-Istifāṭ: sipping.

مُسْفَط الرَّأْسadjective

1.
Head like a basketclassical
Describing someone whose head is shaped like a سفط (container/basket).

رجل مسفط الرأس، كمعظم، أي رأسه كالسفط — A man with a head like a basket (musfaṭ al-ra's), meaning his head is like a safṭ.

سَفَطَ نَفْسَهُverb

1.
To make oneself generousclassical
To make oneself generous or good-natured.

ما أسفط نفسه عنك، أي ما أطيبها — How did he not make himself generous towards you, meaning how did he not make his disposition pleasant?

السِّفْسِطَةnoun

1.
Sophistryclassical
A Greek word meaning error, or deceptive wisdom; sophistry.

السفسطة: كلمة يونانية معناها: الغلط، والحكمة المموهة — Al-Sifsṭah: a Greek word meaning error, and disguised wisdom.

سَفَّاطnoun

1.
Maker of containersclassical
A craftsman who makes سفط (containers or baskets).

Parallel reading

السفط، محركة: الذي يعبى فيه الطيب وما أشبهه من أدوات النساء.

The safṭ, vocalized with fatha, damm, and sukūn: is that in which perfume and similar items for women are packed.

وفي المحكم: كالجوالق، وفي غيره: أو كالقفة، وهو عربي معروف.

And in Al-Muḥkam: it is like a large bag (jawāliq), and in others: or like a basket (quffah), and it is a known Arabic word.

مر أعرابي بالنبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وهو يدفن فقال: (هلا جعلتم رسول الله في سفط ... من الألوة أصدا ملبسا ذهبا)

An Arab nomad passed by the Prophet, peace be upon him, while he was being buried, and said: (Why did you not place the Messenger of God in a container... of aloeswood, perfumed and covered with gold?)

فأصابوا سفطين مملوءين جوهرا.

And they found two containers filled with jewels.

سفط فيه كتاب.

A container holding a letter.

تكتب العلم وتلقي في سفط ... ثم لا تحفظ لا تفلح قط

You write down knowledge and put it in a container... then you do not memorize; you will never succeed.

وقال أبو عمر و: سفط فلان حوضه تسفيطا، إذا شرفه وأصلحه ولاطه، وأنشد:

And Abu 'Amr said: So-and-so lined his basin with tasfīṭ, meaning he reinforced, repaired, and plastered it, and he recited:

حتى رأيت الحوض ذو قد سفطا ذو فاض من طول الجبى فأفرطا

Until I saw the basin, well-formed and lined, overflowing from the length of the embankment and exceeding its bounds.

والسفيط: الطيب النفس، وقيل: السخي، نقله الجوهري، وأنشد

And al-safīṭ: is good-natured, or it is said: generous, as transmitted by Al-Jawhari, and he recited:

ليس بذي حزم ولا سفيط

He does not possess resolve nor generosity.

وأنفسه سفيطة بكذا، ويقال: هو سفيط النفس، أي سخيها طيبها، لغة أهل الحجاز.

And his soul is generous with such-and-such, and it is said: he is safīṭ al-nafs, meaning generous, good-natured, a dialect of the people of Hijaz.

وقال الأصمعي: إنه لسفيط النفس، ومذل النفس: إذا كان هشا إلى المعروف جوادا.

And Al-Asma'i said: He is safīṭ al-nafs, and he is one who humbles himself: meaning he is eager for good deeds and generous.

والسفيط أيضا: النذل.

And al-safīṭ also: means the base or ignoble person.

وقال ابن الأعرابي: كل من لا قدر له من رجل أو شيء فهو سفيط، ضد.

And Ibn Al-A'rabi said: Anyone who has no قدر (value or status), whether a man or a thing, is safīṭ, its opposite.

والسفيط أيضا: المتساقط من البسر الأخضر، كما في اللسان.

And al-safīṭ also: refers to what falls from green dates, as in Lisan al-'Arab.

والسفاطة، كثمامة: متاع البيت، كالأثاث.

And al-safāṭah, like thamāmah: means household goods, like furniture.

ومنها مرهف بن صارم بن فلاح الجذامي السفطي، كتب عنه الزكي المنذري، وترجمه في تكملته.

Among them is Murhaf bin Sarim bin Fallah al-Judhami al-Sifṭi, whom Al-Zaki Al-Mundhiri wrote about and translated in his supplement.

والاستفاط: الاشتفاف.

And al-istifāṭ: means sipping.

وقال ابن عباد: رجل مسفط الرأس، كمعظم، أي رأسه كالسفط.

And Ibn 'Abbad said: A man musfaṭ al-ra's, like mu'aẓẓam, meaning his head is like a safṭ.

وقال ابن الأعرابي: ويقال: ما أسفط نفسه عنك، أي ما أطيبها

And Ibn Al-A'rabi said: And it is said: How did he not make himself generous towards you, meaning how did he not make his disposition pleasant?

سفطت السمكة أسفطها سفطا، إذا قشرت ذلك السفط عنها.

You peel the fish, you peel that skin from it, with safṭ.

والسفاطة، كسحابة: الهشاشة.

And al-safāṭah, like sahābah: means cheerfulness.

والسفاط: صانع السفط.

And al-safāṭ: means the maker of the safṭ.

والسفسطة: كلمة يونانية معناها: الغلط، والحكمة المموهة، قاله القصار والسعد في أوائل شرح العقائد.

And al-sifsṭah: is a Greek word meaning: error, and disguised wisdom, as stated by Al-Qassar and Al-Sa'd in the beginning of their explanation of the doctrines.