طَايءِفٌ

particle n. of طَافَ, signifying Going round or round about, &c. (Msb.)

[And hence,] The عَسَس [quasi-plural n. of عَاسٌّ]; (S, O, K, TA;) [i. e.] the patrol, or watch that go the round of the houses; thus explained by Er-Rághib; and said to mean particularly those who do so by night. (TA.)

And The bull that is next to the extremity, or side, of the كُدْس [or wheat collected together in the place where it is trodden out]. (Ibn-'Abbád, K.) [See طَوْفٌ.]

The طَايءِف of the bow is The part between the سِيءَة [or curved portion of the extremity] and the أَبْهَر [q. v.]: (S, K:) or near [the length of a cubit or] the bone of the fore arm from its [middle portion called the] كَبِد [thus I render قَرِيبٌ مِنْ عَظْمِ الذِّرَاعِ مِنْ كَبِدِهَا, which, I think, can have no other meaning]: or the طَايءِفَانِ are [two parts] exclusive of the two curved ends (دُونَ السِّيءَتَيْنِ): (K: [this last explanation seems to leave one of the limits of each طايءف undefined:]) or, according to AHn, the طايءف of the bow is the part beyond its كُلْيَة [q. v.], above and below, [extending] to the place of the curving of the end of the bow: the plural is طَوَايءِفُ. (TA.)

لَأَقْطَعَنَّ مِنْهُ طَايءِفًا occurs in a tradition respecting a runaway slave, as meaning [I will assuredly cut off] some one, or more, of his أَطْرَاف [apparently meaning fingers]: or, as some relate it, the word is طَابَِقًا. (TA.) And Aboo-Kebeer El-Hudhalee says,

تَقَعُ السُّيُوفُ عَلَى طَوَايءِفَ مِنْهُمُ

meaning, it is said, [The swords fall upon] arms and legs or hands and feet [of them: but in this case, طَوَايءِف may be plural of ↓ طَايءِفَةٌ]. (TA.)

-A2- One says also, أَصَابَهُ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ طَايءِفٌ [A visitation from the Devil befell him]; and ↓ طَوْفٌ likewise, in the same sense. (TA. [See also طَيْفٌ.])