جَمَّاءُ غَفِيرٌ

A helmet that encloses and embraces the whole head. (K.) AO says, in his “ Book on the Coat of Mail and the Helmet, ” that بَيْضَةٌ is a general name for a helmet, which has plates like the bones of the skull, fastened together, edge to edge, by nails. (TA.)

جَاوءُوا جَمَّاءَ غَفِيرًا, and الجَمَّاءَ الغَفِيرَ, (S, K,) and جَمَّاءَ الغَفِيرِ, and جَمًّا غَفِيرًا, and الجَمَّ الغَفِيرَ, and جَمَّ الغَفِيرِ, and ↓ جَمَّاءَ الغَفِيرَى, and ↓ جَمَّاءَ غَفِيرَةً, and الجَمَّاءَ ↓ الغَفِيرَةَ, and ↓ جَمَّاءَ الغَفِيرَةِ, and ↓ جَمَّ الغَفِيرَةِ, and بِجَمَّاءِ الغَفِيرِ, and ↓ بِجَمَّاءِ الغَفِيرَةِ, (K,) are phrases meaning They came all together, high and low, none of them remaining behind, and they being many: (S, K:) according to Sb, (K,) it (الجمّاء الغفير, S, which is the only form that he mentions, TA, [or rather the former of these two words,]) is a subst., (S, K,) put in the place of a verbal noun, (K,) i. e. put in the accusative case like a verbal noun of the same meaning, (TA,) i. e., [as when you say] مَرَرْتُ بِهِمْ جُمُومًا كَثِيرًا [I passed by them they being very many]: (K:) it is not a verb, [by which is here meant, as in many other instances, a verbal noun,] but is put in the accusative case like a verbal noun of the same meaning, as when you say جَاوءُونِى جَمِيعًا, and قَاطِبَةً, and طُرًّا, and كَافَّةً, [They came to me all together,] and the article ال is prefixed like as it is prefixed in the saying أَوْرَدَهَا العِرَاكَ, meaning أَوْرَدَهَا عِرَاكًا [He brought them (the camels) to the water all together]: (S:) Sb says that it is one of those denotatives of state which have the article ال prefixed, and is extr.; and that الغفير is an epithet inseparable from الجمّاء; meaning that you do not say الجمّاء and then be silent: (TA:) others hold it to be a verbal noun: IAmb allows it to be in the nom. case, on the condition that هُم is understood [before it; i. e., the complete phrase being جَاوءُوا هُمُ الجَمَّاءُ الغَفِيرُ]: and Ks says that the Arabs put الجمّاء الغفير in the accusative case فِى التَّمَامِ [i. e. in the case of its occurring after a proposition rendered complete by the mention of the agent. as when you say جَاءَ القَوْمُ الجَمَّاءَ الغَفِيرَ], and in the nom. case فِى النُّقْصَانِ [i. e. in the case of its occurring when what precedes it is not a complete proposition, and is only rendered complete by it as the agent, as when you say جَاءَ الجَمَّاءُ الغَفيِرُ]. (K.)

It is said in a tradition, that Mohammad, being asked by Aboo-Dharr, what was the number of the apostles, answered ثَلٰثُمِايءَةٍ وَخَمْسَةَ عَشَرَ جَمَّ الغَفِيرِ, meaning, Three hundred and fifteen: a great number. (Nh, TA.)

-A2- See also غَفَرٌ, first sentence.