فِرْقَةٌ

A طَايءِفَة [or party, portion, division, sect, or distinct body or class,] of men, (S, O, Msb, K,) and of other things; as also ↓ فِرْقٌ; (Msb;) and so, according to IB, ↓ فَرِيقٌ: (TA: [but see this last word:]) [and a separate herd or the like of cattle:] plural فِرَقٌ (O, Msb, K) and أَفْرَاقٌ (S, O, K) is plural of فِرَقٌ (O, K) and أَفَارِيقُ is plural of أَفْرَاقٌ, (S, O, K,) and أَفَارِقَةٌ occurs in poetry; (O, K;) or أَفَارِيقُ may be of the class of أَبَاطِيلُ, a plural without a singular (O, TA.)

Also A portion of a thing in a state of dispersion; and so ↓ فِرْقٌ and ↓ فَرِيقٌ. (L, TA.)

-A2- And A skin that is full [of milk], that cannot be agitated to make butter حَتَّى أَىْ يُذْرَقَ ↓ يُفْرَقَ [apparently a tropical phrase meaning until it is made to void some of its contents]. (K.)