Edward William Lane, An Arabic-English Lexicon, ث

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ثِنْىٌ ثنى ثني A duplication, or doubling, of a thing: (T, * S, Msb:) pl. أَثْنَآءٌ; (S, Msb;) or the sing. may be ↓ ثَنًى . (Msb.) ― -b2- A folding: so in the saying, أَنْفَذْتُ كَذَا ثِنْىَ كِتَابِى, (S, TA,) or فِى ثِنْىِ كِتَابِىِ (so in a copy of the S,) i. e., فِى طَيِّهِ [lit. I sent, or transmitted, such a thing within the folding of my writing, or letter; meaning infolded, or enclosed, in it; and included in it]. (S, TA.) ― -b3- A duplicature, or fold, of a garment, or piece of cloth: (TA:) or what is turned back of the extremities thereof: (T:) pl. as above: whence, in a trad. of Aboo-Hureyreh, كَانَ يَثْنِيهِ عَلَيْهِ أَثْنَآءً مِنْ سَعَتِهِ [He used to fold it upon him in folds by reason of its width]; meaning the garment. (TA.) [Hence the saying,] وَكَانَ ذٰلِكَ فِى أَثْنَآءِ كَذَا, i. e., فى غُضُونِهِ [lit And that was in the folds, meaning, in the midst, of such a thing, or such an affair, or event]. (TA.) And جَاؤُوا فِى أَثْنَآءِ الأَمْرِ They came in the midst of the affair, or event. (Msb.) [And hence, app.,] مَضَى ثِنْىٌ مِنَ اللَّيْل An hour, or a period, or a short portion, of the night passed; (M, K; *) syn. سَاعَةٌ, (Th, M, K,) or وَقْتٌ. (Lh, M, K.) [See also what is said below respecting its pl. in relation to a night.] ― -b4- Also sing. of أَثْنَآءٌ meaning The parts of a thing that are laid together like the strands of a rope, or that are laid one upon another as layers or strata, or side by side as the things that compose a bundle; (قُوَاهُ, and طَاقَاتُهُ; [rendered by Freytag “ virtutes, facultates rei; ”]) and ↓ مَثَانٍ , of which the sing. is ↓ مَثْنَاةٌ and ↓ مِثْنَاةٌ , signifies the same. (M, K.) ― -b5- Also A bending of the neck of a sheep, or goat, not in consequence of disease: (K: but in the M, ثَنْىٌ [inf. n. of 1]:) and a serpent's bending, or folding, of itself: (M, K:) and also (thus in the M, but in the K “or”) a curved part of a serpent that has folded itself; (M, K;) pl. أَثْنَآءٌ, (M,) i. e. the folds of a coiled serpent. (T.) The pl. is used metaphorically [as though meaning (tropical:) The turns] of a night. (M. [But see explanations of the sing. as used in relation to a night in what precedes.] ― -b6- A part that is bent, or folded, or doubled, of a وِشَاح [q. v.]; (TA;) pl. as above: (T, TA:) and so of a rope: (S:) or a portion of the extremity of a rope folded, or doubled, [so as to form a loop,] for binding therewith the pastern of the fore leg of a beast, to serve as a tether. (T.) Tarafeh says, “ لَعَمْرُكَ إِِنَّ المَوْتَ مَا أَخْطَأَ الفَتَى
لَكَالطِّوَلِ المُرْخَى وَثِنْيَاهُ بِالْيَدِ
” [By thy life, death, while missing the strong young man, is like the tether that is slackened while the two folded extremities thereof are upon the fore leg, or in the hand: see طِوَلٌ]: (T, S:) he means that the young man must inevitably die, though his term of life be protracted; like as the beast, though his tether be lengthened and slackened, cannot escape, being withheld by its two extremities: (so in a copy of the T:) or by ثنياه he means its extremity; using the dual form because it is folded, or doubled, upon the pastern, and tied with a double tie: (so in another copy of the T:) or he means, while its two extremities are in the hand of its owner: (EM p. 91:) by ما اخطأ, he means فِى إِِخْطَائِهِ, (S in art. طول,) or مُدَّةَ إِِخْطَائِهِ: and the ل [prefixed to the ك of comparison] is for corroboration. (EM ubi suprá.) You say also, رَبَّقَ أَثْنَآءَ الحَبْلِ, meaning He made loops in the middle of the rope to put upon the necks of the young lambs or kids. (T.) ― -b7- Also A bend, or place of bending, of a valley, (S, M, * K,) and of a mountain: (S:) pl. as above: (M, K:) and ↓ مَثَانٍ [likewise] signifies the bends of a valley. (T, K.) -A2- A she-camel that has brought forth twice, (S,) or two, (M,) or a second time: (K:) or, as some say, that has brought forth once: but the former is more analogical: (M:) one does not say ثِلْثٌ [as meaning “ that has brought forth thrice ”], nor use any similar epithet above this: (S, TA:) pl. ثُنَآءٌ, like ظُؤَارٌ pl. of ظِئْرٌ, accord. to Sb, (M, TA,) and أَثْنَآءٌ accord. to others: (TA:) in like manner it is applied to a woman, (S, M,) metaphorically: (M:) and to the she-camel's second young one: (S, M:) accord. to As, as related by A'Obeyd, a she-camel that has brought forth once: also that has brought forth twice: [so says Az, but he adds,] but what I have heard from the Arabs is this; that they term a she-camel that has brought forth her first young one بِكْر; and her first young one, her بِكْر; and when she brought forth a second, she is termed ثِنْىٌ; and her young one, her ثِنْى: and this is what is correct. (T.) [Hence the saying,] مَا هٰذَا الأَمْرُ مِنْكَ بِكْرًا وَلَا ثِنْيًا (tropical:) This thing, or affair, is not thy first nor thy second. (A and TA in art. بكر.) ― -b2- See also ثُنْيَانٌ.