زَفْرَةٌ

A drawing-in of the breath to the utmost, by reason of distress: (S:) [or a drawing-back of the breath vehemently, so that the ribs become swollen out: (see 1:)] or an emission of the breath after prolonging it; as also ↓ زُفْرَةٌ and ↓ مُزْدَفَرٌ and ↓ مُزَفَّرٌ, (K, TA,) or ↓ مُزْفَرٌ, (as in a copy of the K,) and ↓ مُزَفَّرَةٌ: (CK, but omitted in the TA and in my MS. copy of the K:) [or an emission of the breath with a prolonged sound; i. e., a sigh, or a long or vehement sigh; or a groan: or an emission of the breath after filling the chest with it by reason of grief: (see, again, 1:)] plural زَفَرَاتٌ, because it is a subst., not an epithet; but sometimes, by poetic license, زَفْرَاتٌ. (S.) El-Jaadee says,

يَرْجِعْ عَلَى دِقَّةٍ وَلَاهَضَمِ

خِيطَ عَلَىزَفْرَةٍ فَتَمَّ وَلَمْ

meaning As though he were sewed up after a drawing-in of the breath to the utmost, by reason of distress, so that he seemed to be constantly so drawing in his breath, on account of the largeness of his belly, [and did not become restored to slenderness nor lankness of the belly.] (S.) And another says,

فَتَسْتَرِيحُ النَّفْسُ مِنْ زَفْرَاتِهَا

[And the soul finds rest from its drawing-in of the breath to the utmost, by reason of distress; or from its sighs, &c.]. (S.)

Also, ↓ all the words above mentioned, [A man] breathing [in the manner above described]; synonym مُتَنَفِّسٌ; [unless this be a mistranscription for مُتَنَفِّسٌ meaning the place of (such) breathing; as seems probable from the forms of more than one of these words, and from what follows, and also from an explanation of مُزْدَفَرٌ, below.] (K, TA.)

Also زَفْرَةٌ (K, TA) and ↓ زُفْرَةٌ (S, K, * TA [but not the other words mentioned above, as is implied in the CK,]) The middle (S, K) of a thing, (K,) or of a horse: (S:) or the chest, or belly: plural of the former, زَفَرَاتٌ. (TA.) One says, ↓ إِنَّهُ لَعَظِيمُ الزُّفْرَةِ Verily he is great in the middle: (S, TA:) or in the chest, or belly. (TA.)

One says also, of a camel, or other beast, مَا أَشَدَّ زَفْرَتَهُ, meaning How strong is the knitting together of his joints! (TA.)