قَصَبٌ

[a coll. gen. n., signifying Reeds, or canes; and the like, as the culms of corn, &c.; and sometimes signifying a reed, or cane, and the like, as meaning a species thereof;] any plant having (M, A, Mgh, Msb, K) its stem composed of (Mgh, Msb) أَنَابِيب [or internodial portions] (M, A, Mgh, Msb, K) and [their] كُعُوب [or connecting knots, or joints]; (Mgh, Msb;) [i. e. any kind, or species, of plant having a jointed stem;] i. q. أَبَاءٌ [a word comparatively little known]; (S; [in the O اَناء, a mistranscription;]) and [it is said that] ↓ قَصْبَاءُ signifies the same: (S, O: [but see what follows:]) the n. un. of the former is ↓ قَصَبَةٌ (S, M, Mgh, Msb, K) and ↓ قَصْبَاةٌ or ↓ قَصَبَاةٌ: (K according to different copies; the former according to the TA: [but each of these I believe to be a mistake for ↓ قَصُبْاءَةٌ, which is said to be a n. un. of قَصْبَاءُ, and therefore held by some to be synonym with قَصَبَةٌ:]) ↓ قَصْبَاءُ [appears, however, to differ somewhat from قَصَب, for it is said that it] signifies an assemblage of قَصَب; (M, K;) and its n. un. is ↓ قَصَبَةٌ and ↓ قَصْبَاءَةٌ [like حَلَفَةٌ and حَلْفَاءَةٌ which are both said to be ns. un. of حَلْفَاءٌ; and طَرَفَةٌ and طَرْفَاءَةٌ, said to be ns. un. of طَرْفَاءٌ; the former in each case anomalous]: (M: [see also Ham p. 201:]) or, according to Sb, ↓ قَصْبَاءُ is singular and plural, (S, M, Mgh, O,) and so طَرْفَاءُ, (S, M, O,) and حَلْفَاءُ; (S, O;) as plural and as singular also having the sign of the feminine gender; therefore, when they mean to express the singular signification, they add the epithet وَاحِدَةٌ; thus, and thus only, distinguishing the singular meaning from the plural, and making a difference between a word of this class and a noun that denotes a plural meaning and has not the sign of the feminine gender such as تَمْرٌ and بُسْرٌ, and such as أَرْطًى and عَلْقًى of which the ns. un. are أَرْطَاةٌ and عَلْقَاةٌ: (M:) or, as some say, ↓ قَصْبَاءُ signifies many قَصَب growing in a place: (Mgh:) and it signifies also a place in which قَصَب grow: (M, K:) [or] ↓ مَقْصَبَةٌ has this last meaning; (Mgh, Msb;) or signifies, like ↓ أَرْضٌ قَصِبَةٌ, a land having قَصَب. (M, K. *)

أَحْرَزَ قَصَبَ السَّبْقِ, (Msb,) or السَّبْقِ ↓ قَصَبَةَ, (TA,) [meaning (assumed tropical:) He won, or acquired, the canes, or cane, of victory in racing,] is said of the winner in horseracing: they used to set up, in the horse-course, a cane (قَصَبَة,) and he who outstripped plucked it up and took it, in order that he might be known to be the one who outstripped, without contention: this was the origin of the phrase: then, in consequence of frequency of usage, it was applied also to the expeditious, quick, and light, or active: (Msb, * TA:) [according to the TA, it is a tropical phrase, but perhaps it is so only when used in the latter way:] it is said in a tradition of Sa'eed Ibn-El-Ás, that he measured the horse-course with the cane, making it to be a hundred canes in length, and the cane was stuck upright in the ground at the goal, and he who was first in arriving at it took it, and was entitled to the stake. (O, TA. [See also مُقَصِّبٌ.])

[The ↓ قَصَبَة here mentioned as A certain measure of length, used in measuring race-courses, was also used in other cases, in measuring land, and differed in different countries and in different times: according to some, it was ten cubits; thus nearly agreeing with our “ rod: ” (see جَرِيبٌ:) according to others, six cubits and a third of a cubit: (see فَدَّانٌ:) the modern Egyptian قَصَبَة, until it was reduced some years ago, was about twelve English feet and a half; its twentyfourth part, called قَبْضَةٌ, being the measure of a man's fist with the thumb erect, or about six inches and a quarter.]

القَصَبُ الفَارِسِىُّ [The Persian reed] is a kind whereof writing-reeds are made: (Mgh, Msb:) and another kind thereof is hard and thick; and of this kind are made musical reeds, or pipes; and with it houses, or chambers, are roofed. (Msb) One says, قَصَبُ الخطِّ أَنْفَذُ مِنْ قَصَبِ الخَطِّ [meaning Writingreeds are more penetrating, or effective, than the canes of El-Khatt (which are spears); i. e., words wound more than spears]. (A, TA.)

قَصَبُ السُّكَّرِ is well-known [as meaning The sugar-cane]: (Msb:) this is of three kinds; white and yellow and black: of the first and second, but not of the third, the juice [of which sugar is made] is expressed; and this expressed juice is called عَسَلُ القَصَبِ. (Mgh.)

قَصَبُ الذَّرِيرَةِ [is Calamus aromaticus; also called قَصَبُ الطِّيبِ]: a species thereof has the joints near together, and breaks into many fragments, or splinters, and the internodial portions thereof are filled with a substance like spiders' webs: when chewed, it has an acrid taste, and it is aromatic (Mgh, Msb) when brayed, or powdered; (Mgh;) and inclines to yellowness and whiteness. (Mgh, Msb. [See also ذَرِيرَةٌ, in article ذر.])

قَصَبٌ also signifies (assumed tropical:) Any round and hollow bone [or rather bones]; (S, O;) it is plural [or rather a coll. gen. n.] of which ↓ قَصَبَةٌ is the singular [or n. un,], this latter signifying any bone containing marrow; (M, K;) thus called by way of comparison [to the reed, or cane]. (M.)

And (tropical:) The bones of the يَدَانِ and رِجْلَانِ [i. e. arms and legs, or hands and feet, but here apparently meaning the latter], (A, Msb,) and the like: (Msb:) [or] (assumed tropical:) the [phalanges, or] bones of the fingers and toes; (M, K, * TA;) (tropical:) the bones whereof there are three in each finger and two in the thumb [and the like in the feet]; (A, TA;) and Zj says, the bones of the أَصَابِع [or fingers and toes] which are also called سُلَامَى: (Msb in article سلم:) or, as some say, the portions between every two joints of the أَصَابِع: (M, TA:) and الأَصَابِعِ ↓ قَصَبَةُ [or قَصَبُةُ الإِصْبَعِ] signifies the أَنْمَلَة [here perhaps meaning the ungual phalanx] of the finger or toe. (Msb, TA.)

And (assumed tropical:) The bones and veins of a wing. (MF.)

[And (assumed tropical:) Quills: thus in the phrase صَارَ الرِّيشُ قَصَبًا, in the K, voce أَنُوقٌ, meaning The feathers became quills: n. un. ↓ قَصَبَةٌ: see صَنَمَةٌ.]

And (tropical:) [The bronchi;] the branches of the windpipe; (M, K;) and outlets of the breath; (K;) [i. e.] القَصَبُ, (S, M, O,) or فَصَبُ الرِّيءَةِ, (A, Msb,) signifies the ducts (عُرُوق) of the lungs; (S, A, O, Msb;) through which the breath passes forth. (S, M, A, O, Msb.) [See حَلْقٌ.]

And (assumed tropical:) Any things made of silver, and of other material, resembling [in form] the kind of round and hollow bone [or bones] thus called: n. un. ↓ قَصَبَةٌ. (S, O.) And (assumed tropical:) Jewels (S, M, K) having the form of tubes (أَنَابِيب), (S,) or oblong, (M, K,) and hollow. (M.)

And (assumed tropical:) Brilliant pearls, and brilliant chrysolites, interset with jacinths. (IAar, O, K.) So in the saying, in a tradition, (O, K,) related as uttered by Gabriel, (O,) [cited in the S apparently as an example of the meaning next preceding this last,] بَشِّرْ خَدِيجَةَ بِبَيْتِ فِى الجَنَّةِ مِنْ قَصَبٍ (IAar, O, K) i. e. [Rejoice thou Khadeejeh by the announcement of] a pavilion [in Paradise] of brilliant pearls, &c.: (IAar, O:) or the meaning is, of hollow pearls [or pearl], spacious, like the lofty palace: (IAth, TA:) or of emerald: (TA voce بَيْتٌ:) and it is said by some to convey an allusion to Khadeejeh's acquiring what is termed قَصَبُ السَّبْقِ [explained above], because she was the first person, or the first of women, who embraced El-Islám. (MF, TA.)

And (tropical:) Fine, thin, or delicate, (S, O,) or soft, (M, Msb, K,) garments, or cloths, of linen: (S, M, O, Msb, K:) a single one thereof is called ↓ قَصَبِىٌّ. (M, O, Msb, K.) One says, مَعَ فُلَانٍ قَصَبُ صَنْعَاءَ وَقَصَبُ مِصْرَ (tropical:) [In the possession of such a one are] قَصَب [meaning the cylindrical, or oblong, hollow pieces] of carnelian [of San'à], and قَصَب [meaning the fine, or soft, garments, or cloths,] of linen [of Egypt]. (A.)

Also (tropical:) The channels by which water flows from the springs, or sources: (S, M, A, O, K:) or the channels by which the water of a well flows from the springs, or sources: (As, T, TA:) n. un. ↓ قَصَبَةٌ. (M.) And قَصَبُ البَطْحَاءِ (assumed tropical:) The waters [of the kind of water-course called بطحاء (q. v.)] that run to the springs, or sources, of the wells. (As, S, O.) Aboo-Dhueyb says,

أَقَامَتْ بِهِ فَابْتَنَتْ خَيْمَةً

عَلَى قَصَبٍ وَفُرَاتٍ نَهَرْ

(As, S, M, O,) meaning She remained [in it, and constructed for herself a booth, or a tent,] amid wells and sweet water that flowed copiously. (As, S, O.)

See also قَصَبَةٌ below, in the next paragraph.

-A2- القَصَبُ is also a name for The ewe. (O.)

And قَصَبْ قَصَبْ is A call to the ewe (O, K) to be milked. (O.)