حتف
1 حَتَفَ,
aor. ـِ is a verb mentioned by
IKoot and
IKtt and others, as derived from حَتْفٌ signifying “ death,” though
J says that no verb is formed from this word; as
IF and
Meyd and
Az also assert: (
MF,
TA:) and حُتُوفٌ is its
inf. n., as well as
pl. of حَتْفٌ: [
accord. to
SM, it is
intrans., signifying He died; for he says,] hence the saying in the
A, المَرْءُ يَسْعَى وَيَطُوفُ وَعَاقِبَتُهُ الحُتُوفُ [Man labours, and goes about: and his end is dying]. (
TA.) [But see what follows.]
A2: IF says that no verb is formed from حَتْفٌ signifying “ death; ” and so, after him,
J; and
Az says that he had heard no such verb: but
IKoot mentions حَتَفَهُ,
aor. ـِ
inf. n. حَتْفٌ, as signifying He, or it, killed him; or caused him to die. (
Msb.) حَتْفٌ Death: (
S,
Msb,
K, &c.:)
pl. حُتُوفٌ. (
S,
K.) You say, مَاتَ حَتْفَ أَنْفِهِ, (A 'Obeyd,
S,
Mgh,
Msb,
K,) and حَتْفَ فِيهِ, but this is rare, and حَتْفَ أَنْفَيْهِ, (
K,) which may mean مَنْخِرَيْهِ, or it may mean أَنْفه وَفَمه, the انف being made predominant, (
TA,) He died upon his bed; (A 'Obeyd,
Mgh,
Msb,
K;) [a natural death;] respiring until he yielded his last breath; (
Msb;) not from slaughter, nor beating, (A 'Obeyd,
S,
Msb,
K,) nor drowning, nor burning, (A 'Obeyd,
Sgh,
Msb,
K,) nor by a wild beast, &c.: (A 'Obeyd,
TA:) the nose is particularized as meaning that the spirit passes forth from it with the breath; or because they imagined that the spirit of the sick man passes forth from his nose, and that of the wounded man from his wound; (
IAth,
K;) or because the spirit passes forth from the mouth and the nose, and the latter of these is made predominant: (
O,
TA:) and حتف is put in the
accus. case in the manner of an
inf. n. (
TA.) This phrase was used in the time of paganism, by Es-Semow-al: (
Msb,
TA:) or,
accord. to some, in the phrase attributed to him, the right reading is not مات حتف انفه, but مات فِى فِرَاشِهِ; and the former was first used by Mohammad. (
Ham p. 52.) It is said of a human being: (
S,
Mgh:) and then of any animal when it dies without any accidental cause: (
Mgh:) hence, of a fish that has died, and floats upon the water. (
Msb,
TA.) It is said in a
trad. of 'Ámir Ibn-Fuheyreh, وَالمَرْءُ يَأْتِى حَتْفُهُ مِنْ فَوْقِهِ [And man, his death comes from above him]: meaning that his caution and his cowardice will not repel from him the decree of death when it befalls him: originally said by 'Amr Ibn-
Mámeh. (
L,
TA.)
A2: حَيَّةٌ حَتْفَةٌ [A dead serpent] is a phrase like اِمْرَأَةٌ عَدْلَةٌ: (
Z,
TA:) the latter word is here an
epithet. (
Z,
K.)
