بَنَانٌ

The fingers; synonym أَصَابِعُ: (M, Msb, K:) but whether it means peculiarly the اصابع of the hand, or those of the foot also, [i. e. the toes,] is disputed: (TA:) or the ends, or extremities, thereof: (S, M, Msb, K:) said to be so called because by their means are ordered those circumstances whereby man continues in existence; from أَبَنَّ بِالْمَكَانِ: (Msb:) mentioned in the Qur'an, 8:12 because therewith one fights, and defends himself: (Er-Rághib, TA:) or it there signifies all the limbs, or members, of the body: (Aboo-Is-hák, M:) or the fingers, or toes, and any other parts of all the limbs, or members: (Zj, TA:) or it means in the Qur'an the شَوَى; (Lth, T, TA;) so in lxxv. 4; (M;) i. e. the arms or hands and the legs or feet: (Lth, T, TA:) according to El-Fárisee the meaning of the words in the Qur'an, 75:4 is, we are able to make their extremities like those of the camel, so that they should not profit by them in handicraft: (M, TA:) the n. un. is with ة; (Lth, T, S, M, K;) meaning, according to Lth, a single إِصْبَع [i. e. finger, or toe]; or, according to AHeyth, the whole اصبع; or, as some say, the highest عُقْدَة [or joint] of the اصبع: (T:) the plural of pauc. is بَنَانَاتٌ; but a plural of mult. is sometimes used as one of pauc.; and hence the saying of the rájiz,

خَمْسَ بَنَانٍ قَانِيءِ الأَظْفَارِ

[Five fingers, or ends of fingers, intensely red from the dye of hinnà in the nails], meaning خَمْسًا مِنَ البَنَانِ: and one says, بَنَانٌ مُخَضَّبٌ [Fingers, or ends of fingers, dyed, or much dyed, with hinnà]; for every plural [or rather coll. gen. n.] between which and its singular, or n. un., there is no difference but ة [added in the latter] may be treated as singular and masculine (S.) Lth cites as an example of the n. un.,

لَيْسَ لِحَىٍّ فَوْقَهُمْ بَنَانَهْ

لَاهُمَّ أَكْرَمْتَ بَنِى كِنَانَه

meaning [O God, Thou hast honoured the sons of Kináneh: there belongs not to any tribe] excel-lence of the measure of a finger above them. (T, TA.)