عِطْفٌ

The side of a human being, from the head to the hip, or to the foot: (Mgh:) and the side of a thing: (Msb:) or the dual signifies the two sides of a man, from the part next the head to the hips: (S, O:) and the two sides of the neck of a man: (TA:) and the two sides of anything: (S, O, K:) as relating to a man, (TA,) or a thing. (Msb,) the plural is أَعْطَافٌ, [properly a plural of pane.,] (Msb, TA,) and, as relating to a man, عِطَافٌ also, and عُطُوفٌ. (TA.) Hence the phrase, هُمْ أَلْيَنُ عِطْفًا [They are more pliant, or pliable; properly as meaning flexible, supple, lithe, or limber; but apparently here used tropically, as meaning compliant: compare لَيِّنُ الجَانِبِ]. (Mgh.) And لَيِّنُ الأَعْطَافِ [Pliant, or pliable, &c.], applied to a horse: (En-Nadr, TA voce غُوْجٌ: [see also عَاجٌ, in article عوج:]) and ↓ سَهْلُ المَعْطِفِ [and ↓ المَعَاطِفِ and الأَعْطَافِ, which signify the same,] so applied. (S and O and TA voce غَوْجٌ.) And [hence, also,] one says, ثَنَى عَنِّى عِطْفَهُ [lit. He bent from me his side], meaning he turned away from me. (S, O, K.) And جَاءَ ثَانِىَ عِطْفِهِ He came in an unstraitened, or an easy, or a pleasant and plentiful, state, or condition: (O, K:) or (K) ثَانِىَ عِطْفِهِ in the Qur'an, 22:9 means (O) twisting, or bending, his neck: (O, K:) or (K) magnifying himself, or behaving proudly, and turning away (O, K) from El-Islám. (O.) And فُلَانٌ يَنْظُرُ فِى عِطْفَيْهِ [lit. Such a one looks at his sides], meaning, is self-conceited. (IDrd, O, K. *)

Also The armpit (Az, O, K, TA) of a man: and his shoulder: plural عُطُوفٌ. (Az, TA.)

And The curved part of each of the two extremities of the bow; (O, K, TA;) the two being called its عِطْفَانِ. (TA.) One says, تَعَوَّجَ القَوْسُ فِى عِطْفَيْهِ, (O, TA,) in the copies of the K, تَعَرَّجَ الفَرَسُ فِى عِطْفَيْهِ, but the former is the right, (TA,) meaning [The bow] bent to the right and left [in the two curved parts of its extremities]. (O, K, TA.)

One says also, تَنَحَّ عَنْ عِطْفِ الطَّرِيقِ [i. e. Go thou aside from] the beaten track of the road; as also ↓ عَطْفِهِ: (IAar, O, K:) or ↓ عَطْفٌ signifies a bending (Mgh, Msb) in a street (Mgh) or road, (Msb,) being a verbal noun used as a simple subst.; but the عِطْف in a street [or road] is [a bent part, being] of the measure فِعْلٌ in the sense of the measure مَفْعُولٌ. (Mgh. [See similar instances voce ذِبْحٌ.])