أَرْقَمُ

(assumed tropical:) A certain serpent: (JK:) a serpent in which are blackness and whiteness: (S, M, K:) or a serpent [begotten] between two serpents [apparently of different varieties], marked with redness and blackness and duskiness and [the colour termed] بُغْثَة [q. v.]: (ISh:) or a serpent upon which are white specks: (Ham p. 784:) or the most malignant of serpents, and the most wont to pursue mankind: (Ibn-Habeeb, K:) or a serpent like the جَانّ in respect of the fear that men have of killing it, though it is one of the weakest and the least irascible of serpents; for one fears, in killing the ارقم and the جانّ, the punishment of the جِنّ to them who kill them: (Sh:) or, applied to a serpent, i. q. أَرْقَشُ [q. v.] : (Mgh:) or the male serpent: (K:) the female is not so called, nor is she called رَقْمَاءُ; (TA;) but she is called رَقْشَاءُ: (K, TA:) when you use the epithet, you say أَرْقَشُ; but أَرْقَمُ is [used as] a subst: (Ibn- Habeeb:) the plural is أَرَاقِمُ, (JK, ISd,) a plural proper to substs., because the quality of a subst. is predominant in it. (ISd, TA.)