ن ت ف

Root entry · 20 derived lemmas

The root ن ت ف (n-t-f) primarily denotes the act of plucking, pulling out, or detaching small pieces, often with a sense of gentleness or repetition. It extends to concepts of taking small amounts of knowledge or things, and metaphorically to a way of walking or a person's character.

Derived headwords

نَتَفَverb

1.
to pluck outboth
To pull out hair, feathers, or similar small items, often repeatedly or with a light touch.
2.
to pluck lightlyclassical
To pull something with a gentle or slight tug, as described in the context of a bowstring.

نتف شعره ينتفه نتفا — He plucked his hair, plucking it a plucking.

نتف في القوس نتفا — He plucked the bowstring lightly.

نَتَفَverb

1.
to pluck outboth
To pull out hair, feathers, or similar small items, often repeatedly or with a light touch.
2.
to pluck lightlyclassical
To pull something with a gentle or slight tug, as described in the context of a bowstring.

نتف شعره ينتفه نتفا — He plucked his hair, plucking it a plucking.

نتف في القوس نتفا — He plucked the bowstring lightly.

نَتَّفَverb

1.
to pluck repeatedlyboth
To pluck something intensely or repeatedly, often implying a greater degree of force or frequency than the basic form.

نتفه تنتيفا مثل ذلك — He plucked it intensely.

انْتَتَفَverb

1.
to be plucked outboth
To be pulled out or detached, often as a result of being plucked.

فانتتف — and it was plucked out.

تَنَاتَفَverb

1.
to pluck each otherclassical
To pluck at each other, or for something to be plucked out by multiple agents.

وهما مطاوعان، أي: انتزع — and they are reciprocal, meaning: to be plucked out.

نَتْفَةnoun

1.
a plucked pieceboth
A small amount or piece that has been plucked or detached, such as a tuft of hair or a bit of plant.
2.
a small amount of knowledgeclassical
A superficial or incomplete portion of knowledge, not thoroughly understood.
3.
a light pluckclassical
A slight tug or pull.

ما تنتفه بإصبعك — what you pluck with your finger.

ذاك رجل نتفة — That is a man of superficial knowledge.

نُتْفَةnoun

1.
a small amountboth
A small quantity of something, like food or possessions.
2.
a bit of knowledgeboth
A small, often incomplete, piece of knowledge.

أعطاه نتفة من الطعام — He gave him a small amount of food.

أفاد نتفا من العلم — He gained some knowledge.

نِتَافَةnoun

1.
plucked materialclassical
That which has been plucked or fallen off, such as shed feathers or hair.

ما انتتف وسقط من التنتف — what is plucked and falls from the plucking.

نُتَافَةnoun

1.
plucked materialclassical
That which has been plucked or fallen off, such as shed feathers or hair.

ما انتتف وسقط من التنتف — what is plucked and falls from the plucking.

نَتُوفadjective

1.
habitually pluckingclassical
Someone who is prone to or habitually plucks, especially their own beard.

فلان نتوف — So-and-so is habitually plucking.

مُنْتَتِفadjective

1.
pluckedboth
Having been plucked or pulled out.

من زفه قلق الأرصاف منتتف — from its rustling, restless, plucked feathers.

مُنْتَافadjective

1.
walking with short stepsclassical
Describing a camel or person that walks with short, measured steps.
2.
superficial (person)classical
A person who takes only small pieces of knowledge without deep study.

جمل منتاف — A camel walking with short steps.

رجل منتاف — A man who takes superficial knowledge.

مُنْتَاخadjective

1.
walking with short stepsclassical
Synonymous with منتاف, describing a gait of short, measured steps.

مُنْتَاشadjective

1.
walking with short stepsclassical
Synonymous with منتاف, describing a gait of short, measured steps.

مُنْتُوفadjective

1.
pluckedboth
Having had something plucked from it.
2.
a nicknameclassical
A title or nickname given to individuals.

غراب نتف الجناح — A crow with a plucked wing.

المنتوف: لقب رجل اسمه سالم — Al-Muntūf: the nickname of a man named Salem.

نَتِيفadjective

1.
plucked (for treatment)classical
Describing an animal, like a camel, that has been plucked so that medicine or ointment can be applied to the skin.

تحسبه ذا طلاء نتيفا — You would think it had a plucked application.

نَتِيفadjective

1.
plucked (for treatment)classical
Describing an animal, like a camel, that has been plucked so that medicine or ointment can be applied to the skin.

تحسبه ذا طلاء نتيفا — You would think it had a plucked application.

أَنْتَفَverb

1.
to be pluckableclassical
Said of vegetation that can be plucked or gathered.

أنتف الكلأ — The herbage was pluckable.

نَتْفnoun

1.
pluckingboth
The act of plucking or pulling out small pieces.
2.
a small piece from around the nailclassical
A small piece of skin or cuticle that is plucked from around the fingernail.

نَتْفَةnoun

1.
a slight pullclassical
A light tug or snatch.
2.
a small amountclassical
A small quantity, used metaphorically to mean neither much nor little.

وما كان بينهم نتفة ولا قرصة — And there was between them neither a slight pull nor a pinch.

Parallel reading

نتف شعره ينتفه نتفا، من حد ضرب، وكذا الريش، أي: نزعه

He plucked his hair, plucking it a plucking, from the pattern of 'daraba', and likewise feathers, meaning: to pull out.

وكذا الريش، أي: نزعه

And likewise feathers, meaning: to pull out.

وشدد للكثرة فانتتف

And it was intensified for abundance, so it was plucked out.

وهما مطاوعان، أي: انتزع

And they are reciprocal, meaning: to be plucked out.

غبراء تنفضه حتى يصاحبها ... من زفه قلق الأرصاف منتتف

A dust-colored one shakes it until it accompanies her... from its rustling, restless, plucked feathers.

ومن المجاز: نتف في القوس نتفا: إذا نزع فيها نزعا خفيفا كما في المحيط والأساس

And from the metaphorical usage: he plucked the bowstring lightly, meaning: he pulled it with a light tug, as in Al-Muḥīṭ and Al-Asās.

والنتافة ككناسة، وغراب: ما انتتف وسقط من التنتف أي: الشيء المنتوف، كنتافة الإبط، وما أشبهه

And al-Nattāfah, like kunāsah, and gharāb: is what is plucked and falls from the plucking, meaning: the plucked thing, like the plucked hair of the armpit, and what resembles it.

والنتفة، بالضم: ما تنتفه بإصبعك وفي الصحاح: بأصابعك من النبت وغيره، ج: نتف كصرد نقله الجوهري

And al-Nutfah, with dammah: is what you pluck with your finger, and in Al-Ṣiḥāḥ: with your fingers from plants and other things, pl. nutūf like ṣurud, as narrated by Al-Jawharī.

ومن المجاز: النتفة كهمزة: من ينتف من العلم شيئا ولا يستقصيه نقله الجوهري

And from the metaphorical usage: al-Nutfah, like humzah: is one who plucks something from knowledge without fully investigating it, as narrated by Al-Jawharī.

وكان أبو عبيدة إذا ذكر له الأصمعي يقول: ذاك رجل نتفة، قال الأزهري: أراد أنه لم يستقص كلام العرب، إنما حفظ الوخز والخطيئة منه

And Abū ʿUbaydah, when Al-Aṣmaʿī was mentioned to him, would say: 'That is a man of superficial knowledge.' Al-Azhari said: 'He meant that he did not fully grasp the speech of the Arabs, but rather memorized fragments and errors from it.'

والمنتاف، والمنتاخ، والمنتاش بمعنى واحد

And al-Muntāf, al-Muntākh, and al-Muntāsh have one meaning.

وجمل منتاف: مقارب الخطو إذا مشى غير وساع قال الأزهري: ولا يكون حينئذ وطيئا قال: هكذا سمعته من العرب

And a muntāf camel: is one that takes short steps when walking, not widely spaced. Al-Azhari said: 'And it is not smooth-paced at that time.' He said: 'This is how I heard it from the Arabs.'

والمنتوف: لقب رجل اسمه سالم، كان مولى لبني قيس بن ثعلبة وكان صاحب أمر يزيد بن المهلب في حربه، وقد مر ذكره في ق ح ف

And al-Muntūf: is the nickname of a man named Salem, who was a client of Banu Qays ibn Thaʿlabah and was in charge of Yazīd ibn Al-Muhallab's affairs in his war, and his mention has passed in Q-Ḥ-F.

وقال ابن عباد: غراب نتف الجناح، ككتف: أي منتتفه

And Ibn ʿAbbād said: A crow with a plucked wing, like 'katif': meaning it has been plucked.

ويقال: جمل نتيف، كأمير: إذا نتف حتى يعمل فيه الهناء قال صخر الغي: (فذاك السطاع خلاف النجا تحسبه ذا طلاء نتيفا)

And it is said: a natīf camel, like 'amīr: is one that is plucked so that the ointment can work into it. Sakhrah Al-Ghay said: 'That is the shining mark, contrary to the escape; you would think it had a plucked application.'

وقال السكري: أي بعيرا أجرد نتف، وإنما نتف ليأخذ فيه الطلاء إلى الجلد

And Al-Sukkari said: meaning a bare camel that is plucked, and it is plucked so that the ointment can penetrate to the skin.

والنتيف أيضا: لقب أبي عبد الله محمد الأصفهاني الأصولي الفقيه

And al-Natīf is also: the nickname of Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad Al-Iṣfahānī, the scholar of Usūl and the jurist.

تنتف الشعر: أي تناتف

Tantafa al-shaʿr: meaning to pluck each other's hair.

وحكي عن ثعلب: أنتف الكلأ: أمكن أن ينتف

And it is narrated from Thaʿlab: Antafa al-kala': it was possible to pluck the herbage.

ورجل منتاف: يقارب خطوة إذا مشى

And a muntāf man: takes short steps when he walks.

والنتف: ما يقتلع من الإكليل الذي حوالي الظفر

And al-Natf: is what is plucked from the cuticle around the nail.

وفلان نتوف، كصبور: مولع بنتف لحيته

And so-and-so is natūf, like ṣabūr: fond of plucking his beard.

وأعطاه نتفة من الطعام وغيره، بالضم: شيئا منه

And he gave him a nutfah of food and other things, with dammah: a small amount of it.

وأفاد نتفا من العلم

And he gained some knowledge.

والنتفة، بالفتح: النزعة الخفيفة

And al-Nutfah, with fatḥah: is the light tug.

وما كان بينهم نتفة ولا قرصة: أي شيء صغير ولا كبير، وهو مجاز، كما في الأساس

And there was between them neither a nutfah nor a qursah: meaning neither a small thing nor a large one, and this is a metaphor, as in Al-Asās.

والمنتوف: لقب أبي عبد الله محمد ابن عبد الله بن يزيد بن حيان، مولى بني هاشم، روى عنه القاضي المحاملي

And al-Muntūf: is the nickname of Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Yazīd ibn Ḥayyān, a client of Banu Hashim, from whom Al-Qāḍī Al-Muḥāmilī narrated.