crawling, advance, march

, aor. , inf. n. زَحْفٌ (S, Mgh, Msb, K) and زُحُوفٌ (Msb, K) and زَحَفَانٌ, (K,) He, or it, (an army, Mgh, Msb, * or a company of men, Msb) walked, marched, or went on foot, إِلَيْهِ [to him, or it]; (S, K;) and [generally] did so by little and little; (accord. to an explanation of زَحْفٌ in the TA;) crept, or crawled, along; or went, or walked, leisurely, or gently: (Mgh:) and ↓ تزحّف إِلَيْهِ, (S, K,) as also ↓ ازدحف, (K,) i. q. تمشّى, (S, K,) i. e. he walked [with slow steps, or] heavily, with an effort, to him, or it: (TK:) and مِشْيَةُ زَحَفَانٍ means a gait in which is a heaviness of motion. (TA.) One says of a child, before he walks, (S, Msb, K,) or before he stands, (T, TA,) يَزْحَفُ [He drags himself along] (S, Msb, K) عَلَى الأَرْضِ [upon the ground], or عَلَى ٱسْتِهِ [upon his posteriors]: (TA:) or زَحَفَ alone, said of a child, he went along slowly, by little and little, upon his posteriors: (Bd in viii. 15:) and to the زَحْف of children is likened the marching of two bodies of men going to meet each other for fight, when each of them marches gently, or leisurely, towards the other, before they draw near together to smite each other: and one says likewise of a child, before he walks, عَلَى ↓ يَتَزَحَّفُ الأَرْضِ, or, as in the T, عَلَى بَطْنِهِ, i. e. he drags himself along [upon the ground, or upon his belly]. (TA.) ― -b2- زَحَفَ الدَّبَا [The young locusts not yet winged] went on, or forwards: (S, O, K:) مَشَى in this explanation in the K should be مَضَى, as in the S and A. (TA.) ― -b3- زَحَفَ said of an arrow, (assumed tropical:) It fell short of the butt, and then slid along to it. (S, * Msb.) ― -b4- Also, said of a camel, (S, Mgh, Msb, K,) aor. , inf. n. زَحْفٌ and زُحُوفٌ, and زَحَفَانٌ, (TA,) He became fatigued, and dragged his foot, or the extremity of his foot; (S, Mgh, Msb, K;) as also ↓ أَزْحَفُ: (S, Mgh, Msb:) or this latter signifies he (a camel) became fatigued, (K, TA,) and stood still with his master: and رَاحِلَتُهُ مِنَ الإِعْيَآءِ ↓ أَزْحَفَتْ His saddle-camel stood still from fatigue: or, accord. to El-Khattábee, correctly, أُزْحِفَتْ عَلَيْهِ: (TA:) or this is a mistake, occurring in the Fáïk; and it is correctly with fet-h: (Mgh:) and accord. to the T, زَحَفَ signifies he (a camel) became fatigued, so that he stood still with his master: (TA:) or, as some say, زَحَفَ said of one walking, or marching, [i. e., of a man and of a beast,] (Msb, TA,) accord. to AZ, whether fat or lean, (Msb,) aor. , inf. n. زَحْفٌ and زَحَفَانٌ, or, as AZ says, زَحْفٌ and زُحُوفٌ, (TA,) signifies, (Msb,) or signifies also, (TA,) he became fatigued, (Msb, TA,) in walking, or marching. (TA.) ― -b5- And زَحَفَ الشَّجَرُ (tropical:) The trees became in a state of gentle motion, by the influence of the wind. (TA.) -A2- زَحَفَ الشَّىْءَ, inf. n. زَحْفٌ, He dragged the thing along gently. (TA.)

[He swept the house, or chamber, with the زحّافة, q. v.]. (TA.)

, inf. n. مُزَاحَفَةٌ, They fought with us. (TA.)

see 1, in the latter half, in two places. ― -b2- أَزْحَفَ said of a man means His camel, or his horse or the like, became fatigued. (S.) ― -b3- ازحف لَنَا بَنُو فُلَانٍ The sons of such a one became a زَحْف to us, (K, TA,) i. e., an army marching to us to fight with us. (TA.) ― -b4- And ازحف فُلَانٌ Such a one attained to the utmost of that which he sought, or desired. (K, * TA.) -A2- ازحف said of long journeying, It fatigued the camels. (TA.) ― -b2- ازحفت الرِّيحُ الشَّجَرَ (tropical:) The wind put the trees into a state of gentle motion. (TA.)

see 1, in the former half, in two places.

They drew near, one to another, in fight. (IDrd, Z, K.) They walked, or marched, one to, or towards, another; as also ↓ ازدحفوا. (TA.)

[originally اِزْتَحَفَ]: see 1, first sentence: and see also 6.

An army, or a military force, marching by little and little, or leisurely, to, or towards, the enemy, (S, A, K, TA,) or heavily, by reason of their multitude and force: (A, TA:) or a numerous army or military force; an inf. n. used as a subst.; (Mgh, Msb;) because, by reason of its multitude, and heaviness of motion, it is as though it crept, or crawled, along: (Mgh:) accord. to Az, from زَحَفَ عَلَى ٱسْتِهِ, said of a child: (TA:) not applied to a single individual: (IKoot, Msb:) pl. زُحُوفٌ. (Msb, TA.) ― -b2- And hence, as being likened thereto, (tropical:) A swarm of locusts. (TA.) ― -b3- فَرَّ مِنَ الزَّحْفِ, occurring in a trad., means He fled from war with unbelievers; and from encountering the enemy in war. (TA.) ― -b4- إِذَا لَقِيتُمُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا زَحْفًا, in the Kur [viii. 15], means, accord. to Zj, زَاحِفِينَ, i. e. [When ye meet those who have disbelieved] marching by little and little [in consequence of their great number, to attack you]. (TA.)

[inf. n. of un. of 1; A walk, &c.]. ― -b2- نَارُ الزَّحْفَتَيْنِ The fire of the شِيح and the أَلَآء; because it quickly blazes in them [and then subsides]; (S, K;) so that one walks, or creeps, from them [and back to them]: (S:) or the fire of the عَرْفَج; (M, A;) because it quickly takes effect upon it; so that when it blazes, those who warm themselves at it walk, or creep, from it; then it soon subsides, and they walk, or creep, back to it: (M, TA:) and the like is said by IB; wherefore, he adds, it is called أَبُو سَرِيعٍ. (TA.) It was said to a woman of the Arabs, “ Wherefore do we see you to be scant of flesh in the posteriors and thighs? ” and she answered, أَرْسَحَتْنَا نَارُ الزَّحْفَتَيْنِ [The fire of the شِيح and the أَلَآء, or of the عَرْفَج, has rendered us scant of flesh in the posteriors and thighs]. (S.)

, (K,) or زُحَفَةٌ زُحَلَةٌ, A man (TA) who does not travel about in the countries: (K, TA:) so in the Moheet. (TA.)

: see زَاحِفٌ, in two places. ― -b2- [Also, accord. to Freytag, occurring in the Deewán el-Hudhaleeyeen as meaning Going along slowly.]

, in the dial. of Egypt, signifies مَا يُزَحَّفُ بِهِ البَيْتُ [i. e. The thing, generally a palm-branch, with which the house, or chamber, is swept, to remove the dust and cobwebs from the roof and walls]. (TA.)