سِنٌّ

i. q. ضِرْسٌ [as meaning A tooth; in which sense this latter word is often used; though it is frequently restricted to a molar tooth, or to any of the teeth except the central incisors]: (M, L, K:) [or, according to some, a single tooth; i. e. one that is not of the double, or molar, kind; as shown by a description in what follows:] of the feminine gender: (S, M, L, Msb:) plural أَسْنَانٌ (S, M, L, Msb, K) and أَسِنَّةٌ and أَسُنٌّ, (M, L, K,) the last of these mentioned by Lh, and this and the second anomalous; (M, L;) or the second is allowable as plural of the first of these pls.; (S;) or it is plural of the سِنَان of the spear; but may also be plural of أَسْنَانٌ as plural of سِنٌّ applied to herbage upon which camels pasture, in an instance to be cited in what follows: (A'Obeyd, T, L:) the vulgar say إِسْنَان and أُسْنَان, which are wrong: (Msb:) the أَسْنَان of a human being consist of four ثَنَايَا, and four رَبَاعِيَات, and four أَنْيَاب, and four نَوَاجِذ, and sixteen أَضْرَاس: or, as some say, four ثنايا, and four رباعيات, and four انياب, and four نواجذ, and four ضَوَاحِك, and twelve أَرْحَاء: (Msb:) or the أَسْنَان and أَضْرَاس together make up the number of thirty-two; the ثنابا are four, two above and two below [in the middle]; next are the رباعيات, which are four, two above and two below; next are the انياب, which are four [likewise, two above and two below]; and next are the اضراس, which are twenty, on each side five above and five below; and of these [last] the four that are next to the انياب are the ضواحك; next to each ناب, above and below, is a ضَاحِك; next to the ضواحك are the طَوَاحِن, also called the أَرْحَاء, which are twelve, on each side [above and below] three; and next to these are the نواجذ, which are the last of the teeth in growth, and the last of the اضراس, on each side of the mouth one above and one below: (Zj in his “ Khalk el-Insán: ”) the diminutive of سِنٌّ is ↓ سُنَيْنَةٌ, because it is feminine (S.) One says, لَا اتِيكَ سِنَّ الحِسْلِ, (S, M, L,) i. e. I will not come to thee as long as remains the tooth of the young one of the [kind of lizard called] ضَبّ; (M, L;) meaning, ever; (S, M, * L;) because the حسل never sheds a tooth: (S, L:) or, as Lh relates it, on the authority of ElMufaddal, سِنَّىْ حِسْلٍ; [using the dual form of سِنٌّ;] and [it may be rendered, according to the former reading, (assumed tropical:) during the life of the young one of the ضّب, for] he says, they assert that the ضبّ lives three hundred years, and that it is the longest-lived creeping thing upon the earth. (M, L.) A poet (Aboo-Jarwal El-Jushamee, whose name was Hind, L) says, describing camels taken as a bloodwit,

فَجَاءَتْ كَسِنِّ الظَّبْىِ لَمْ أَرَ مِثْلَهَا

بَوَاءَ قَتِيلٍ أَوْ حَلُوبَةَ جَايءِعِ

[And they came; (assumed tropical:) like the age of the gazelle was the age of every one of them: I have not seen the like of them for an equivalent of a slain person, or a milch camel of one hungry: (I have given a reading of this verse that I have found in the M and TA in article ظبى, instead of that in the present article in the S and L, in which سناءَ and سَنَاءَ are put in the place of بَوَاءَ apparently for سِنَاءَ, a verbal noun of سَانَاهُ, and as such here meaning a soothing, or the like:)] he means that they were ثُنْيَان, [plural of ثَنِىٌّ], because the ثَنِىّ is one shedding [or that has shed] his ثَنِيَّة, and the gazelle has no ثَنِيَّة [in the upper jaw], so that he is always [one that may be termed] a ثَنِىّ. (S, L.) It is said in a tradition, إِذَا سَافَرْتُمْ فِى الخِصْبِ فَأَعْطُوا الرُّكُبَ أَسِنَّتَهَا, [explained as] meaning When ye journey in the land abounding with herbage, enable ye the ridden beasts to take of the pasturage: (S, L:) but Az states that A'Obeyd says, I know not أَسِنَّة except as plural of the سِنَان of the spear; and if the tradition be [correctly] preserved in memory, it seems to be plural of أَسْنَان; for سِنٌّ [sometimes] signifies the [portion of] herbage upon which camels pasture; and its plural is أَسْنَانٌ; one says, أَسْنَانٌ مِنَ المَرْعَى; and the plural of أَسْنَانٌ is أَسِنَّةٌ: Aboo-Sa'eed says that this last is plural of سِنَانٌ, not of أَسْنَانٌ, and ↓ سِنَانٌ is applied to the [plants, or trees, called] حَمْض, as meaning (assumed tropical:) a strengthener [i. e. a sharpener of the appetite] of the camels for the [plants, or trees, called] خُلَّة: [see a phrase in the earlier part of the first paragraph:] in like manner, also, [he says,] when they light upon what is termed سِنٌّ مِنَ المَرْعَى [a portion of pasturage], this is termed عَلَى السَّيْرِ ↓ سِنَانٌ [a strengthener, or sharpener, for journeying]: this explanation is approved by Az, and likewise that of A'Obeyd: it is also related, on the authority of Fr, that السِّنُّ signifies the eating vehemently: [a signification mentioned in the K as well as in the L:] and Az says, I have heard more than one of the Arabs say, أَصَابَتِ الإِبِلُ اليَوْمَ سِنًّا مِنَ المَرْعَى [The camels have obtained to-day a good portion of pasturage] when they have eaten well of the best of the pasturage: Z says that ↓ أَعْطُوا الرُّكُبَ أَسِنَّتَهَا means (assumed tropical:) Give ye to the ridden beasts what will prevent their being slaughtered; for when their owner pastures them well, they become fat, and goodly in his eye, and therefore he withholds himself, with niggardliness, from slaughtering them, and this [condition of them] is likened to أَسِنَّة [as meaning “ spear-heads ”] plural of سِنَانٌ: [see also أَخَذَتْ رِمَاحَهَا, said of camels, voce رُمْحٌ:] or if the plural of سِنٌّ be intended by it, the meaning is, enable ye them [i. e. the ridden beasts] to take of the pasturage; and hence the tradition, أَعْطُوا السِّنَّ حَظَّهَا مِنَ السِّنِّ, i. e. Give ye the possessors of the سِنّ [meaning tooth] their share of the سِنّ which is the pasture. (L.) السِّنُّ is also used for ذَوَاتُ السِّنِّ [The possessors of the tooth] as meaning the slave and horses and the like and other animals, [collectively, in like manner as خُفٌّ and حَافِرٌ are used,] in a tradition of 'Omar. (L.) And it is said in a tradition of Ibn-Dhee-Yezen, لَأُوطِيءَنَّ أَسْنَانَ العَرَبِ كَعْبَهُ, for ذَوِى أَسْنَانِ العَرَبِ, meaning [I will assuredly make] the great men and the nobles [of the Arabs to tread upon his ankle]. (L.) [But اسنان in this instance may be plural of سِنٌّ in the sense here next following; so that ذوى اسنان may be rendered the advanced in age.])

Hence, (L,) (tropical:) Life; (S, M, L, Msb;) metaphorically used in this sense as indicative of its length and its shortness; (L;) [for the teeth vary with the length of life;] the measure, (K,) or extent, of life; (Msb, K;) [the age attained;] used in relation to human beings and others: (M, L, K:) of the feminine gender in this sense also, (M, L, Msb,) because meaning مُدَّةٌ: (Msb:) plural أَسْنَانٌ, (M, L, K,) only. (M, L.) You say رَجُلٌ حَدِيثُ السِّنِّ, meaning (assumed tropical:) A young man. (S, Msb, K, all in article حدث.) And جَاوَزْتُ أَسْنَانَ أَهْلِ بَيْتِى (assumed tropical:) [I have exceeded] the lives of the people of my house. (L.) And صَدَقَنِى سِنَّ بَكْرِهِ [and سِنُّ بَكْرِهِ, explained in article بكر]. (L.)

And (assumed tropical:) A like, an equal, or a match, in age, of another; (M, L, K;) like تِنٌّ; (M, L;) as also ↓ سَنِينٌ, (M, L, K,) and ↓ سِنِينٌ, (L,) or ↓ سَنينَةٌ: (M, K:) in this sense also feminine; and [therefore] the diminutive is ↓ سُنَيْنَةٌ; (L;) one says, اِبْنِى سُنَيْنَةُ ابْنِكَ [My son is the equal in age of thy son]: (El-Kanánee, L:) and the plural is أَسُنٌّ and أَسْنَانٌ. (L.)

Also (assumed tropical:) A tooth of a مِنْجَل [or reaping-hook]: (M, L, K: *) plural أَسْنَانٌ, signifying its أُشُر. (L and K in article اشر.)

[And (assumed tropical:) A tooth of a comb.] The Arabs say كَأَسْنَانِ المُشْطِ meaning (assumed tropical:) [Like the teeth of the comb] in equality, in respect of any state, or condition: but if they mean equality in respect of evil, they say

سَوَاسِيَةٌ كَأَسْنَانِ الحِمَارِ

[Equals like the teeth of the ass]; سواسية being an anomalous plural of سَوَاءٌ. (Har p. 39.)

And (assumed tropical:) The nib, i. e. the place of paring, of a writingreed: (S, L, K:) [and each lateral half of that part; for] the writing-reed has a right سِنّ and a left سِنّ: (TA in article حرف:) [and ↓ سِنَّةٌ occurs in the K voce جِلْفَةٌ as meaning the point of a writing-reed.] One says, أَطِلْ سِنَّ قَلَمِكَ وَسَمِّنْهَا وَحَرِّفْ قِطَّتَكَ وَأَيْمِنْهَا [Make long the nib, or pared portion, of thy writing-reed, and make it thick (lit. fat), and make thy mode of cutting the extremity of the nib oblique, and make it to incline towards the right]. (S, L. *)

A tooth [or pin] of a key [apparently of the kind of wooden lock called ضَبَّة, q. v.]. (MA.)

See also سِنْسِنٌ.

Also, (M, K, and A and K in article فص,) or ↓ سِنَّةٌ, (S, JM,) A clove, (فَصٌّ, S and A as synonym with سِنٌّ in article فص, and JM in explanation of سِنَّةٌ in the present article, or فَصَّةٌ, S and L in explanation of سِنَّةٌ,) or a حَبَّة [apparently here meaning small distinct portion] of the head [apparently here meaning bulb], (M and L and K in explanation of سِنٌّ,) of garlic. (S, M, A, L, K, JM.)

-A2- [Accord. to some,] one says, وَقَعَ فُلَانٌ فِى سِنِّ رَأْسِهِ, meaning Such a one fell into [what equalled] the number of his hairs, of good, (M, * L, K, *) and of evil: (L:) or, as some say, into what he willed, or wished, and had authority to decide: (L, K:) but this is a mistranscription: (Meyd:) the correct saying is فِى سِىِّ رَأْسِهِ, (Az, Meyd, L,) and سَوَاءِ رَأْسِهِ, meaning he fell into a state of enjoyment, or welfare; (Meyd;) the former sometimes explained as meaning, [he lighted upon, or came upon, what equalled] the number of the hairs of his head, of wealth, or good: (A'Obeyd, Meyd:) or what equalled [the hairs of] his head, of abundance of herbage, or of the goods, conveniences, or comforts, of life: (Az, L, and Meyd * on the authority of IAar:) the saying is a prov. (Meyd.)

-A3- السِّنُّ also signifies The wild bull. (L, K.)