رَبْعٌ
1.
A place where people remain, abide, or dwell, in the [season called] رَبِيع; (K, TA;) as also
مَرْبَعٌ, (S, Msb, K,) and
مُرْتَبَعٌ: (K, TA:) this is the primary signification: (TA:) and hence, (TA,) (tropical:) a place of alighting or abode, (Sh, S, Msb, K, TA,) of a people, or company of men; (Msb;) a settled place of abode; a place of constant residence; a dwelling; a home; whenever and wherever it be; as also
مَرْبَعٌ, and
مُرْتَبَعٌ: (TA:) and (assumed tropical:) a house, wherever it be: (S, Mgh, K:) [in Egypt, a range of distinct lodgings over shops or magazines, separate from the shops or magazines, but generally having one common entrance and staircase:] plural [of mult.] رِبَاعٌ and رُبُوعٌ (S, Mgh, Msb, K) and [of pauc.] أَرْبَاعٌ and أَرْبُعٌ: (S, Msb, K:) and the plural of
مَرْبَعٌ is مَرَابِعُ. (S.) You say, مَا أَوْسَعَ رَبْعَ بَنِى فُلَانٍ (tropical:) How ample, or spacious, is the place of alighting, or abode, of the sons of such a one! (S, TA.)
2.
Hence, also, (tropical:) The people of a place of alighting or abode; (Sh, Msb, TA;) the people of a house or tent: (Aboo-Málik, TA:) a company of men or people: (K:) a large number: (IB:) plural as above: (Msb:) رُبُوعٌ signifies the people of places of alighting or abode: (Sh:) and also tribes. (TA.) You say, أَكَثَرَ اللّٰهُ رَبْعَكَ (tropical:) May God multiply the people of thy house or tent. (TA.) And هُمُ اليَوْمَ رَبْعٌ (tropical:) They now, or to-day, [are a large number; or] have become many, and have increased. (TA.)
3.
[Hence, also,] (assumed tropical:) A bier; or a bier with a corpse upon it; synonym نَعْشٌ. (K, TA: [in the CK نَفْس.]) So in the saying, حَمَلْتُ رَبْعَهُ (assumed tropical:) [I bore, or carried, his bier, or his bier with his corpse upon it]. (TA.)
4.
(assumed tropical:) The extremity of a mountain. (TA.) [App. because travellers often stop and rest there.]
5.
Also i. q.
رَبْعَةٌ, (L, Msb, K,) which signifies, (S, L, &c.,) as also
رَبَعَةٌ, and
مَرْبُوعٌ, (L, Msb, K,) or الخَلْقِ
مَرْبُوعُ, (S, Mgh, L,) and
مُرْتَبِعٌ, (S, L, K,) and
مُرْتَبَعٌ, (L, K,) and
مِرْبَاعٌ, (K, but this last [says SM] I have not seen in the lexicons, except applied by the author of the “ Mo- heet ” as an epithet to a rope, TA,) applied to a man, (S, L, &c.,) Of middling stature; (Msb;) neither tall nor short; (S, L;) between tall and short: (K:) and so, applied to a woman,
رَبْعَةٌ (S, Mgh, L, Msb, K) and
رَبَعَةٌ, (L, Msb,) though originally applied to a man, like خَمْسَةٌ &c.: (L:) the plural of رَبْعٌ is رَبْعُونَ: (Fr:) and that of
رَبْعَةٌ is رَبَعَاتٌ, applied to men and to women, (S, Mgh, L, K,) and رَبْعَاتٌ also; (IAar, Fr, L, K) the former of these two pls. being anomalous, because a word of the measure فَعْلَةٌ has not its medial radical movent when it is an epithet, but only when it is a subst. and has not و or ي for that radical; (S, O, K;) or the medial radical is movent in this instance because رَبْعَةٌ is originally a feminine subst. applied to a male and a female, and used as an epithet; (L;) or because it resembles a subst. in its being applied alike to a man and a woman. (Az.)