افَةٌ

[A blight, blast, taint, canker, disease, bane, pest, plague, or the like; any evil affection; an evil; a cause of mischief or harm or injury; anything that is noxious or destructive; a calamity;] i. q. عَاهَةٌ; (S, Msb, K;) i. e. (Msb, [in the K “ or, ”]) an accident that mars, or corrupts, that which it affects, or befalls, or smites: (T, M, O, Msb, K:) plural افَاتٌ. (Msb, K.) [See 1.] One says, افَهُ الظَّرْفِ الصَّلَفُ وَ افَةُ العِلْمِ النِّسعيَانُ [The bane of elegance in manners, or the like, is the overpassing the due limits therein, and arrogating to oneself superiority therein, through pride; and the bane of science is forgetfulness]. (T.) And it is said in a tradition, افَةُ الحَدِيثِ الكَذِبُ وَ افَةُ العِلْمِ النِّسْيَانُ [The bane of discourse is lying; and the bane of science is forgetfulness]. (TA.) And hence the saying, لِكُلِّ شَىْءٍ افَةٌ وَ لِلْعِلْم افَاتٌ [To everything there is a bane; and to science there are banes]. (TA.)