كَبْشٌ

A ram, or male sheep, whatever be his age: (M, TA:) or a male sheep [that has entered his third year,] when he has cast his central incisors: or when his tooth that is next to the central pair of incisors has come forth: (Lth, K:) [also applied in the present day to the wild sheep of the Arabian and Egyptian deserts and mountains; ovis tragelaphus:] plural [of pauc.] أَكْبُشٌ and أَكْبَاشٌ (K) and [of mult.] كِبَاشٌ (S, A, K) [and apparently كُبُوشٌ] and كُبُوشَةٌ, like صُقُورَةٌ from صَقْرٌ. (TA.) The female is not called كَبْشَةٌ, but نَعْجَةٌ. (IJ. [See رَاجِلَةٌ.])

[Hence,] (tropical:) The chief, or lord, of a people, or company of men; (S, K;) their leader: (K:) or their strenuous defender, or protector, and the one of them to whom others look. (TA.) You say, هُوَ كَبْشُ الكَتِيبَةِ (A, TA) (tropical:) He is the leader of the army, or troop: (TA:) and هُمْ كِبَاشُ الكَتَايءِبِ (tropical:) [They are the leaders of the armies, or troops]. (A, TA.) And كِبَاشٌ also signifies (tropical:) Heroes, or brave men. (TA.) And (assumed tropical:) Aged and learned persons. (TA in article خرف.)

[Hence also, (tropical:) A buttress: and a corbel which juts out from a wall to support a superstructure: so in the present day: plural كُبُوشٌ.] You say, بَنَوْا سُورًا حَصِينًا وَوَثَّقُوهُ بِالكُبُوشِ (tropical:) [They built a strong town-wall, and made it firm with the buttresses]. (A, TA.) [See also another example voce فَصِيلٌ.]