فَرِيقٌ

A طَايءِفَة [or party, &c.,] (S, Msb, K) more in number, (S, K, *) or larger, (Msb,) than a فِرْقَة: (S, Msb, K:) plural [of pauc.] أَفْرِقَةٌ and [of mult.] أَفْرِقَاءُ and فُرُوقٌ (K, TA) and فُرُقٌ: (CK:) see also فِرْقَةٌ, in two places; and see فِرْقٌ: AHei says that it is itself a quasi-plural n., applied to few and to many: 'Abd-el-Hakeem, that it occurs in the sense of a طَايءِفَة [or party, &c.], and in the sense of a single man: and El-Isbahánee, that it signifies a company of men apart from others [i. e. a party of men]: (MF, TA:) or [simply] a company [of men]. (O.)

And A separator of himself. (IB, TA.) Hence the saying, هُوَ أَسْرَعُ مِنْ فَرِيقِ الخَيْلِ i. e. [He is swifter] than the outgoer, or outrunner, of the horses. (TA.)

نِيَّةٌ فَرَيقٌ means مُفَرِّقٌ [i. e. A place to which one purposes journeying that separates widely]: a poet says,

أَحَقٌّ أَنَّ جِيْرَتَنَا اسْتَقَلُّوا

فَنِيَّتُنَا وَنِيَّتُهُمْ فَرِيقُ

[Is it true that our neighbours have gone away, so that the place to which we purpose journeying and the place to which they purpose journeying are such as separate widely]: he says فَرِيق in like manner as one applies [the epithet] صَدِيقٌ to a company of men. (Sb, TA.)

-A2- Also A palm-tree (نَخْلَةٌ) in which is [apparently meaning out of which grows] another. (AA, AHn, O, TA.)