كَمْءٌ

A well-known vegetable, (K,) [the truffle,] which comes forth from the earth like the فُطْر: or what is called شَحْمُ الأَرْضِ [the fat of the earth]; and the Arabs also call it جُدَرِىُّ الأَرْضِ [the small-pox of the earth]: it is also said that the name of كَمْأَةٌ is given to those [truffles] that incline to dust-colour and black; and جبأة (q. v.) to those that incline to red: كُحْل and تُوتِيَا are compounded with the juice of this vegetable [to apply to the eye]: Th also mentions كَمَاةٌ [as used for كَمْأَةٌ]. (TA.) The dual of كَمْءٌ is كَمْانِ; (S;) the plural (of pauc., S) أَكْمُوءٌ; (S, K;) and [plural of mult.] كَمْأَةٌ: (K:) this last is not a plural of كمء, but a quasi-plural n.: (Sb, K:) [or كَمْأَةٌ is rather a coll. gen. n. of which the n. un. is without the ة, contr. to analogy: (see جَبْءٌ:)] in speaking of many, you say كَمْأَةٌ, contr. to analogy: (S:) or كَمْأَةٌ is the singular, and كَمْءٌ plural: or [according to some,] كَمْأَةٌ is both singular and plural: (K:) AHn mentions كَمْأَةٌ as singular, and كَمْأَتَانِ as dual, and كَمْاتٌ as plural: but the right opinion is that of Sb. (TA.) [كَمْأَةٌ also signifies Any kind of fungus, such as the mushroom, and toadstool. See فُطْرٌ.]