بِنَاءٌ
1.
[originally a verbal noun: (see 1, first sentence:) then applied to A building; a structure; an edifice;] a thing that is built, or constructed; plural أَبْنِيَةٌ, and plural plural أَبْنِيَاتٌ: (M, K:) and
بُنْيَانٌ [also] has this meaning; (Msb;) [and is likewise originally a verbal noun;] or this signifies a wall; synonym حَايءِطٌ; (S;) or it may be a plural, [or rather a coll. gen. n., meaning buildings, structures, edifices, or walls,] of which the singular [or n. un.] is
بُنْيَانَةٌ, and as such may be masculine and fem: (Er-Rághib, TA:)
بِنْيَةٌ and
بُنْيَةٌ also signify [the same as بِنَاءٌ as explained above; or] a thing that one has built, framed, or constructed; (M, K;) or, according to some, the former of these two relates to objects of the senses, and the latter to objects of the mind, to glory or honour or the like; (MF, TA;) and their pls. are
بِنًى and
بُنًى; (K;) or, according to the S and M, these two appear to be sings.; (TA;) [or they may be pls. or sings.; for J says that] البُنَى is like البِنَى; one says, بُنْيَةٌ and بُنًى, and بِنْيَةٌ and بِنًى; (S;) [and ISd says that] بِنْيَةٌ and بُنْيَةٌ signify as above, and so بِنًى and بُنًى; or, according to Aboo-Is-hák, بِنًى is plural of بِنْيَةٌ; or it may be used by poetic licence for بِنَاءٌ: (M:) according to IAar, بِنًى signifies buildings, or structures, of clay: and also [tents] of wool; (T;) and بِنَاءٌ likewise signifies a tent (M, TA) in which the Arabs of the desert dwell, in the desert, (TA,) such as is called
خِبَاء; (M, TA; *) and طِرَافٌ and قُبَّةٌ and مِضْرَبٌ are names applied to dwellings of the same kind; (TA;) plural أَبْنِيَةٌ: (M:) the moveable dwelling, such as the
خَيْمَة
and
مِظَلَّة
and
فُسْطَاط
and
سُرَادِق
and the like, is called بِنَاءٌ as being likened to the building of burnt bricks and of clay and of gypsum. (M.) [See also بَنِيَّةٌ.]
2.
Also The roof, or ceiling, of a house or chamber or the like; as in the Qur'an, 2:20, الَّذِى جَعَلَ لَكُمُ الأَرْضَ فِراشًا وَ السَّمَاءَ بِنَاءً [Who hath made for you the earth as a bed, and the heaven as a roof, or ceiling]: (S, [but wanting in some copies,] and Jel:) so says AZ: (S:) or the meaning here is, as a tent (قُبَّة) pitched over you. (Bd.)
3.
And The body, with the limbs or members. (TA.)
4.
And i. q.
نِطْعٌ [A thing that is spread on the ground to serve as a table for food &c., made of leather; like مِبْنَاةٌ]: occurring in a tradition, where it is mentioned as spread on the ground, on a day of rain, for Mohammad to pray upon: so says Sh. (T.)