ع • و • ف

, (Sh, O, K,) aor. تَعُوفُ, inf. n. عَوْفٌ, (Sh, O,) The birds circled over a thing, (Sh, O, K,) or over the water, or over carcasses or corpses: or circled over a thing, going to and fro and not going away, desiring to alight: (K:) AA says that the medial radical is و; others say that it is ى, as will be shown in art. عيف. (TA.) -A2- And عَافَ He (a man, TA) kept, or clave, to the trees, or plants, called عَوْف. (O, K, * TA.)

He (a lion) sought, or sought for or after, the prey, by night. (TA.) [It is used as intrans. and as trans.:] see عَوْفٌ and عُوَافَةٌ.

A small creeping thing (دُوَيَّبَةٌ), other than the جَرَادَة [which is termed أُمُّ عَوْفٍ]. (TA.) And, accord. to AHát, أَبُو عَوْفٍ A species of the [beetles called] جِعْلَان [pl. of جُعَلٌ]: it is a small creeping thing (دُوَيْبَّة), dust-coloured, that excavates with its tail and with its two horns, and [then] never appears. (TA.)

i. q. سَهْلٌ [A soft tract, or a plain, &c.]. (O, K.)

A state, condition, or case. (S, O, K.) So in the saying, نَعِمَ عَوْفُكَ [May thy state, &c., be good, or pleasant]. (S, O.) One says also, أَصْبَحَ فُلَانٌ بِعَوْفِ سَوْءٍ, and بِعَوْفِ خَيْرٍ, meaning [Such a one entered upon the morning, or, simply, became,] in an evil state, and in a good state: or, accord. to some of the lexicologists, one should not say بِعَوْفِ خَيْرٍ, but only شَرٍّ [or سَوْءٍ]. (IDrd, O.) Also Fortune; syn. جَدٌّ and حَظٌّ. (O, K.) And so, accord. to some, in the saying, نَعِمَ عَوْفُكَ [i. e. May thy fortune be good]. (O, TA.) And i. q. طَايءِرٌ [as meaning An omen]. (K, TA.) And thus it is said to signify in the form of prayer above mentioned: (TA:) [for,] as some say, the meaning is, نَعِمَ طَيْرُكَ [May thy omen be good]. (O, TA.) And The ذَكَر. (O, K.) One says to a man on the morning after his first going in to his wife, نَعِمَ عَوْفُكَ, meaning thereby the ذَكَر [i. e. May thy ذكر be in a good state]. (O, TA.) A'Obeyd says, Some men used to explain (يَتَأَوَّلُ [for which يَتَنَاوَلُ is erroneously put in the O]) العَوْف as the فَرْج [meaning the ذَكَر], and I mentioned it to AA, and he disapproved it: (S, O, TA:) but a verse has been cited in which عَوْفِى [certainly] means ذَكَرِى. (TA.) And A guest. (Lth, O, K.) And thus it has been expl. as used in the saying, نَعِمَ عَوْفُكَ. (O, * TA.) And The cock. (O, K.) And The lion: because he seeks his prey (↓ يَتَعَوَّفُ) by night. (O, K.) And The wolf. (O, K.) And One who toils, or seeks the means of subsistence, for his household, or family. (IAar, O, K.) And A certain idol. (O, K.) And A species of trees; (O;) or a species of plants, (AHn, O, K,) of the plants of the desert, (AHn, O,) of sweet odour. (AHn, O, K.) أُمُّ عَوْفٍ The جَرَادَة, (S, O,) [i. e.] the female of the جَرَاد [or locust]. (K.) And أَبُو عَوْفٍ The جَرَاد [meaning the male locust]. (Az, O, K.) -A2- Also (i. e. عَوْفٌ) a good manner of tending or pasturing [cattle]: (O, K:) [or rather, simply,] the tending or pasturing [cattle]: so in the saying, إِنَّهُ لَحَسَنُ العَوْفِ فِى إِبِلِهِ [Verily he is one who has a good quality of tending, or pasturing, in respect of his camels]. (TA.)

: see عُوَافَةٌ.

(O, K) and ↓ عُوَافٌ (K) The prey which the lion seeks (الأَسَدُ ↓ مَا يَتَعَوَّفُهُ) by night, and which he devours. (O, K.) And (both words, K) A thing that becomes, or has become, an acquisition of any one (O, K, TA) by night. (TA.)