شَرَفٌ

Highness, elevation, exaltation, or eminence, [in rank, condition, or estimation, in respect of religion or of worldly things: (see the first sentence of this article:)] (S, O, Msb, K:) [generally meaning high birth:] glory, honour, dignity, or nobility; synonym مَجْدٌ: or not unless [transmitted] by ancestors: (K:) [for] according to ISk, شَرَفٌ and مَجْدٌ may not be unless [transmitted] by ancestors; but حَسَبٌ and كَرَمٌ may be in a man though he have not ancestors [endowed therewith]: (O:) or, (K,) according to IDrd, (O,) it signifies highness of حَسَب [which means grounds of pretension to respect or honour, consisting in any qualities (either of oneself or of one's ancestors) which are enumerated, or recounted, as causes of glorying]: (O, K:) and ↓ شُرْفَةٌ signifies the same as شَرَفٌ; (TA;) or the same as فَضْلٌ and شَرَفٌ [meaning a favour and a glory or an honour]; as in the saying, أَعُدُّ إِتْيَانَكُمٌ شُرْفَةً [I reckon your coming a favour, and a glory or an honour]; (O, K;) and أَرَى ذٰلِكَ شُرْفَةً [I regard that as a favour, and a glory or an honour]: (O:) the plural of شَرَفٌ is أَشْرَافٌ, like as that of سَبَبٌ is أَسْبَابٌ. (TA.) نُهْبَةٌ ذَاتُ شَرَفٍ means Spoil, or booty, of high value, at which men raise their eyes, and look, or which they smite with the [evil] eye: [see اِسْتَشْرَفَ إِبِلَهُمْ:] but the phrase is also related with س. (TA. See سَرَفٌ.)

See also شَرِيفٌ, with which, or with the pls. of which, it is said to be synonym

Also An elevated place; an eminence: (S, Mgh, O, K:) according to Sh, any piece of ground that overtops what is around it, whether extended or not, only about ten cubits, or five, in length, of little or much breadth in its upper surface: (TA:) plural أَشْرَافٌ: (TA voce وَطْءٌ:) and مَشَارِفُ الأَرْضِ signifies the high, or elevated, places, or parts, of the earth or ground: (S, Msb, K:) singular ↓ مَشْرَفٌ, with fet-h to the م and ر. (Msb. [See also مُشْرَفٌ.]) A poet says,

اتِى النَّدِىَّ فَلَا يُقَرَّبُ مَجْلِسِى

وَأَقُودُ لِلشَّرَفِ الرَّفِيعِ حِمَارِى

[I come to the assembly, and my sitting-place is not made near to the chief person or persons, and I lead to the high elevated place my ass]: he means, I have become unsound in my intellect in consequence of old age, so that no profit is gotten from my opinion, and I am not able to mount my ass from the ground, unless from a high place. (S.)

[Hence, (tropical:) The brink, verge, or point, of some event of great magnitude, or of any importance: not well explained as meaning] the being on the brink, or verge, or at the point, of some event of great importance, good or evil: (O, K:) one says in the case of good, هُوَ عَلَى شَرَفٍ مِنْ قَضَاءِ حَاجَتِهِ (tropical:) [He is at the point of accomplishing the object of his want]: and in the case of evil, هُوَ عَلَى شَرَفٍ مِنَ الهَلَاكِ (tropical:) [He is on the brink, &c., of destruction]. (O, TA.)

And (tropical:) The hump of a camel. (O, K, TA.)

And apparently singular of أَشْرَافٌ in a sense explained below: see the latter word. (TA.)

-A2- And A heat; a single run, or a run at once, to a goal, or limit: (O, K:) or, (K,) according to Fr, about a mile: (O, K:) or about two miles. (TA as from the K and on the authority of Fr.) One says, عَدَا شَرَفًا أَوْ شَرَفَيْنِ [He ran a heat, or two heats]: (O:) and [in like manner,] اِسْتَنَّتٌ شَرَفًا أَوْ شَرَفَيْنِ, (O, K,) occurring in a tradition, said of a mare, or of horses. (O.)

-A3- Also, (O, TA,) according to IAar, (O,) A red clay or earth: and i. q. مَغْرَةٌ [i. e. red ochre]; as also ↓ شَرْفٌ: according to Lth, a kind of trees, having a red dye: and said to be the same as [the Pers.] دار Pرنيان [i. e. دَارْ Pَرْنِيَان, meaning Brazil-wood, which is commonly called in Arabic بَقَّم]. (O, TA: * in the former of which, the Pers. word here mentioned is written without the points to the P; and in the latter, الدابرنيان.)