قَابٌ

The portion, of a bow, that is between the part that is grasped by the hand and the curved extremity: to every bow there are قَابَانِ: (S, O, Msb, K:) or, according to El-Khafájee, it is [the space] between the string and the part that is grasped by the hand, of the bow; as also ↓ قِيبٌ: (TA:) in the Qur'an, 53:9, فَكَانَ قَابَ قَوْسَيْنِ according to some, is an inverted phrase, meaning فكان قَابَىْ قَوْسٍ [i. e. And he was at the distance of the measure of the two portions between the part that is grasped by the hand and each of the curved extremities of a bow]: (S, O:) [but] قَابٌ signifies also a measure, or space; and so ↓ قِيبٌ: (S, O, K:) one says, بَيْنَهُمَا قَابُ قَوْسٍ and قَوْسٍ ↓ قِيبُ, [Between them two is the measure of a bow], and likewise قَادُ قُوْسٍ and قِيدُ قَوْسٍ: (S, O: *) and it is said that قَابَ قَوْسَيْنِ [in the case mentioned above] means at [the distance of] the length of two bows: or as Fr says, at [the distance of] the measure of two Arabian bows. (TA.) [قابُ قَوْسٍ is also a term often used in astronomy to denote the distance between two stars; and seems to be synonym with ذِرَاعٌ (q. v.) as so used, thus meaning A cubit; which is the measure of each قاب of a bow, or nearly so.]