مَتَّى

dialect form of مَتَى, q. v. (K.) It occurs in the following instances:

أَلَمْ تَسْأَلِ الأَطَلَالَ مَتَّى عُهُودُهَا

[Didst thou not ask the remains of the dwelling, when were their times?] AHát asked As respecting متّى in this hemistich, and he answered, I know not. AHát thinks that it is for مَتَى: or that it may be for مَتًّا, verbal noun of مَتَّ; and that the meaning may be [Didst thou not ask the remains of the dwelling,] whereof the times when men were present there are (or were) long past, or distant, or remote? but he confesses that he does not know. (L.) MF remarks upon it, that it is very extraordinary. (TA.)