أُثْفِيَّةٌ

and إِثْفِيَّةٌ[the former of which is the more common, and this only I find in copies of the T,] The stone [which is one of the three] whereon the cooking-pot is placed: (A'Obeyd, M, K:) it is, with the Arabs, a stone like the head of a man: (T:) the plural is أَثَافِيُّand أَثَافٍ; (T, S, [in which latter it is written differently in different copies, with the article prefixed, الأَثَافِيُّand الأَثَافِي, but in both manners in article ثفى,] M, K;) the latter being allowable; (T,) or, according to Akh, the latter only is used by the Arabs; (M;) applied to the three stones mentioned above: (TA in article سفع; &c.:) upon these the cooking-pot is set up; but what is of iron, having three legs, is not called اثفيّة, but مِنْصَبٌ; (T;) [and this is what is meant by أَثْفِيَّةٌ مِنْ حَدِيدٍin article سفعin the K;] i. e. an iron trivet upon which a cooking-pot is set up. (TA in article نصب.) أُثْفيَّةٌmay be of the measure فُعْلُويَةٌ[from اثف], and it may be of the measure أُفْعُولَةٌ[from ثفى; in either case originally أُثْفُويَةٌ]. (A, L.) ثَالِثَةُ الأَثَافِىsignifies The part, not detached, of a mountain; by the side of which, two pieces are put [for the cookingpot to be set thereon]. (A'Obeyd, T, K.) And hence the saying, (A'Obeyd, T,) رَمَاهُ اللّٰهُ بثَالِثَةِ, الأَثَافِي(A'Obeyd, T, K) May God smite him with the mountain; meaning, with a calamity; (Th, TA, K in article ثفى;) with a calamity like the mountain [in greatness]; (Th, M;) for when they do not find the third of the اثافى, they rest the cooking-pot [partly] upon the mountain: (M, K, in article ثفى:) or, with difficulties, or troubles, or calamities: (As, T:) or, with all evil; evils being likened to one اثفيّةafter another, and the third being the last: (T, K:) so says Aboo-Sa'eed: (T:) or, with the last of evil; and the last of everything hateful: (AO in Har p. 84:) or, with a great calamity. (Har ib.) One says also, الأَثَافِى فُلَانٌ ثَالِثَةُ, meaning (tropical:) Such a one is the heaviest, most burdensome, or most troublesome, of the people. (Har ubi suprà.)

[Hence also,] الأَثَافِىis a name applied to (assumed tropical:) certain stars [according to Ideler, as mentioned by Freytag in his Lex., the stars σ and τ and υ Draconis] over against the head of the قِدْر; which is the name of certain stars disposed in a round form. (AHát, K.) [Also] a name given by the vulgar to (assumed tropical:) [The three chief stars in the constellation called] الشَّلْيَاقُ[i. e. Lyra]. (Kzw.)

The singular, (K,) i. e. each of the two forms thereof, but written in the copies of the S with damm [only], (TA in article ثفى,) or [only] the latter, with kesr, (M, and so in the K in article ثفى,) also signifies (assumed tropical:) A number, (M,) or a great number, (K, and so in the S in article ثفى,) and a company, or congregated body, of men: (M, K:) plural as above. (M.) You say, هُمْ عَلَيْهِ أُثْفِيَّةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ(assumed tropical:) [They are against him one band]. (TA.) And بَقِيَتْ مِنْ بَنِى فُلَانٍ أُثْفِيَّةٌ خَشْنَاءُ There remained of the sons of such a one a great number. (S in article ثفى.)