رصاف

Arabic

Root
ر ص ف (r-ṣ-f)

Alternative forms

• رَصَف (raṣaf)

Noun

رِصَاف • (riṣāf) m (collective, singulative رِصَافَة f (riṣāfa), paucal رَصَائِف (raṣāʔif))

1. sinew that is wound upon the socket of the head of an arrow to strengthen it
   • 7th century CE, Ṣaḥīḥ al-Buḵāriyy, 61:117:

     يَقْرَءُونَ الْقُرْآنَ لَا يُجَاوِزُ تَرَاقِيَهُمْ، يَمْرُقُونَ مِنَ الدِّينِ كَمَا يَمْرُقُ السَّهْمُ مِنَ الرَّمِيَّةِ، يُنْظَرُ إِلَى نَصْلِهِ فَلَا يُوجَدُ فِيهِ شَيْءٌ، ثُمَّ يُنْظَرُ إِلَى رِصَافِهِ فَمَا يُوجَدُ فِيهِ شَيْءٌ، ثُمَّ يُنْظَرُ إِلَى نَضِيِّهِ ـ وَهُوَ قِدْحُهُ ـ فَلَا يُوجَدُ فِيهِ شَيْءٌ، ثُمَّ يُنْظَرُ إِلَى قُذَذِهِ فَلَا يُوجَدُ فِيهِ شَيْءٌ، قَدْ سَبَقَ الْفَرْثَ وَٱلدَّمَ.

     yaqraʔūna l-qurʔāna lā yujāwizu tarāqiya-hum, yamruqūna mina d-dīni kamā yamruqu s-sahmu mina r-ramiyyati, yunẓaru ʔilā naṣli-hī fa-lā yūjadu fī-hi šayʔun, ṯumma yunẓaru ʔilā riṣāfi-hī fa-mā yūjadu fī-hi šayʔun, ṯumma yunẓaru ʔilā naḍiyyi-hī - wa-huwa qidḥu-hū - fa-lā yūjadu fī-hi šayʔun, ṯumma yunẓaru ʔilā quḏaḏi-hī fa-lā yūjadu fī-hi šayʔun, qad sabaqa l-farṯa wa-d-dama.

     They recite the Qurʾān but it does not go beyond their clavicles and they will desert the creed as an arrow goes through a target’s body, so one would, on looking at the arrow’s blade, see nothing on it; then one would look at its sinew and see nothing, then one would look at its arrowshaft and see nothing, then one would look at its fletching and would see nothing, for the arrow, by its speed, has even obviated entrails and blood.

Declension

Declension of noun رِصَاف (riṣāf)

Collective	basic collective triptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	رِصَاف riṣāf	الرِّصَاف ar-riṣāf	رِصَاف riṣāf
Nominative	رِصَافٌ riṣāfun	الرِّصَافُ ar-riṣāfu	رِصَافُ riṣāfu
Accusative	رِصَافًا riṣāfan	الرِّصَافَ ar-riṣāfa	رِصَافَ riṣāfa
Genitive	رِصَافٍ riṣāfin	الرِّصَافِ ar-riṣāfi	رِصَافِ riṣāfi
Singulative	singulative triptote in ـَة (-a)
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	رِصَافَة riṣāfa	الرِّصَافَة ar-riṣāfa	رِصَافَة riṣāfat
Nominative	رِصَافَةٌ riṣāfatun	الرِّصَافَةُ ar-riṣāfatu	رِصَافَةُ riṣāfatu
Accusative	رِصَافَةً riṣāfatan	الرِّصَافَةَ ar-riṣāfata	رِصَافَةَ riṣāfata
Genitive	رِصَافَةٍ riṣāfatin	الرِّصَافَةِ ar-riṣāfati	رِصَافَةِ riṣāfati
Dual	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	رِصَافَتَيْن riṣāfatayn	الرِّصَافَتَيْن ar-riṣāfatayn	رِصَافَتَيْ riṣāfatay
Nominative	رِصَافَتَانِ riṣāfatāni	الرِّصَافَتَانِ ar-riṣāfatāni	رِصَافَتَا riṣāfatā
Accusative	رِصَافَتَيْنِ riṣāfatayni	الرِّصَافَتَيْنِ ar-riṣāfatayni	رِصَافَتَيْ riṣāfatay
Genitive	رِصَافَتَيْنِ riṣāfatayni	الرِّصَافَتَيْنِ ar-riṣāfatayni	رِصَافَتَيْ riṣāfatay
Paucal (3-10)	basic broken paucal diptote
	Indefinite	Definite	Construct
Informal	رَصَائِف raṣāʔif	الرَّصَائِف ar-raṣāʔif	رَصَائِف raṣāʔif
Nominative	رَصَائِفُ raṣāʔifu	الرَّصَائِفُ ar-raṣāʔifu	رَصَائِفُ raṣāʔifu
Accusative	رَصَائِفَ raṣāʔifa	الرَّصَائِفَ ar-raṣāʔifa	رَصَائِفَ raṣāʔifa
Genitive	رَصَائِفَ raṣāʔifa	الرَّصَائِفِ ar-raṣāʔifi	رَصَائِفِ raṣāʔifi

References

• Freytag, Georg (1833) “رصاف”, in Lexicon arabico-latinum praesertim ex Djeuharii Firuzabadiique et aliorum Arabum operibus adhibitis Golii quoque et aliorum libris confectum‎^[1] (in Latin), volume 2, Halle: C. A. Schwetschke, page 156
• Kazimirski, Albin de Biberstein (1860) “رصاف”, in Dictionnaire arabe-français contenant toutes les racines de la langue arabe, leurs dérivés, tant dans l’idiome vulgaire que dans l’idiome littéral, ainsi que les dialectes d’Alger et de Maroc‎^[2] (in French), volume 1, Paris: Maisonneuve et C^ie, page 871
• Lane, Edward William (1863) “رصاف”, in Arabic-English Lexicon‎^[3], London: Williams & Norgate, page 1094