عَتَبَةٌ

The أُسْكُفَّة [meaning threshold] of a door, (S, A, Mgh, O, Msb, K,) upon which one treads: (TA:) or the upper of the two [transverse pieces of wood, of a door-way, whereof each is called أُسْكُفَّة; i. e. the lintel]: (K:) [for it is said that] the upper [piece of wood] in a door-way is the عَتَبَة; and the piece of wood that is above this is the حَاجِب; (Az, TA in this article and in article حجب;) and the أُسْكُفَّة is the lowest [or threshold]; and the عَارِضَتَانِ are the عِضَادَتَانِ [or two side-posts]: (TA:) the plural is ↓ عَتَبٌ [improperly termed a plural, for it is a coll. gen. n.,] (S, O, K) and عَتَبَاتٌ. (TA.) [It is mostly used in the former of the two senses explained above.]

And [hence,] (tropical:) A wife is thus termed, (O, K,) metonymically, in like manner as she is termed نَعْلٌ, &c. (O.)

And A step; a single step of a series: (S, O, Msb:) or a single step of a series made of wood: (TA:) plural ↓ عَتَبٌ [improperly termed a plural, as observed above,] (S, O, Msb) and عَتَبَاتٌ. (S, O.)

العَتَبَتَانِ (assumed tropical:) [The two thresholds or lintels or steps] termed الخَارِجَةُ [or the outer] and الدَّاخِلَةُ [or the inner] are two wellknown figures of [the science of] الرَّمْل [i. e. geomancy]. (TA.)

عَتَبَةُ وَادٍ The extreme side of a valley, that is next the mountain: (O, TA:) or, as some say, العتبة [i. e. العَتَبَةُ, supposed by Freytag to be العُتْبَةُ,] signifies the place of bending of the valley. (Ham p. 18.)

And عَتَبَةٌ signifies also A hardship, or difficulty; and a hateful, or disagreeable, thing, or affair, or case, or event; and so ↓ عَتَبٌ. (K.) One says, حُمِلَ فُلَانٌ عَلَى عَتَبَةٍ Such a one was incited, urged, induced, or made, to do, or to suffer, a disagreeable, or hateful, thing, of a trying, or an afflictive, kind. (S, O.) And مِنَ الشَّرِّ ↓ حُمِلَ عَلَى عَتَبٍ, and عَتَبَةٍ, He was incited, &c., to do, or to suffer, a hardship, or difficulty. (TA.) And مَا فِى هٰذَا الأَمْرِ وَلَا رَتَبٌ ↓ عَتَبٌ There is not in this thing, or affair, or case, any hardship, or difficulty. (S, O.) And عَتَبَاتُ المَوْتِ means The severities [or pains or agonies] of death. (TA, from a tradition)