مَلْثٌ

and ↓ مَلَثٌ and ↓ مُلْثَةٌ The first, or commencement, of the blackness of night: (K:) or it is after the سَدَف: (TA:) or the first, or commencement, of the blackness of the place of sunset: when it has become intense, and the last عِشَاء has come, it is called مَلَس. (IAar.)

الظَّلَامِ ↓ أَتَيْتُهُ مَلَثَ, (S, K,) and مَلْثَ الظلام, (K,) and عِنْدَ ملثِهِ, (TA,) I came to him at the period when the darkness became confused, (S, K,) and had not yet become very intense, [as it has] when thou sayest أَخُوكَ أَمِ الذِّيءْبُ [(Is this) thy brother, or the wolf?]; (S;) i. e. at the time of the prayer of sunset, and after it. (As, S.)

صلاة الملثِ The prayer of sunset: in the dialect of Rabee'ah. (A.)

مَا كَانَ عَهْدُهُ إِلَّا وَلْثًا وَوَعْدُهُ إِلَّا مَلْثًا [His compact was not otherwise than weak, and his promise not otherwise than one not meant to be fulfilled]. (A.)