خِطْبٌ
1.
A man who asks, or demands, a woman in marriage; (S, A, * K; *) as also
خُطْبٌ (MF) and
خَاطِبٌ (A, Msb, K) and
خِطِّيبٌ: plural of the first أَخْطَابٌ, (K,) and of the second خُطَّابٌ, (A,) and of the last خِطِّيبُونَ. (K.) You say, هُوَخِطْبُهَا [and
خَاطِبُهَا] and
خِطِّيبُهَا
He is her asker, or demander, in marriage. (K, * TA.) It was a custom, in the Time of Ignorance, for a man to stand up and to say خِطْبٌ, (A, K, *) and
خُطْبٌ, (K,) meaning I am an asker, or demander, in marriage; (MF;) and he who desired to give to him in marriage would reply نِكْحٌ, (A, K, *) and نُكْحٌ, (K,) [meaning I am “ a giver in marriage, ”] and thus marriage was effected: there was a woman among them, called Umm-Khárijeh, and the man who asked her in marriage used to stand at the door of her tent, and say, خِطْبٌ; and she used to reply, نِكْحٌ; (S, * TA;) and hence the prov, أَسْرَعُ مِنْ نِكَاحِ أُمِّ خَارِجَةَ [Quicker than the marriage of Umm-Khárijeh]. (TA.)
2.
Also A woman asked, or demanded, in marriage; (S, A, * K; *) and so
خِطْبَةٌ (S, K) and
خُطْبَةٌ (Kr, K) and
خِطِّيبَةٌ (A, K) and
خِطِّيبَى [which is also a verbal noun: see 1] : (K:) or this last signifies a woman often asked, or demanded, in marriage. (JK.) You say, هِىَ خِطْبُهُ and
خِطْبَتُهُ (S, K) &c. (K) She is the person asked, or demanded, in marriage by him. (S, K. *)