حَلَفَ, aor. ـِ {يَحْلِفُ}, inf. n. حَلِفٌ and حَلْفٌ (Ṣ, Mṣb, Ḳ) and حِلْفٌ (Ḳ) and مَحْلُوفٌ, (Ṣ, Ḳ,) like مَجْلُودٌ and مَعْقُولٌ and مَعْسُورٌ, (Ṣ,) and مَحْلُوفَةٌ (Lth, Ḳ) [and مَحْلُوفَآءُ, like مَشْعُورَآءُ, as will be seen from what follows], He swore. (Ṣ.) You say, حَلَبَ بِٱللّٰهِ [He swore by God]. (Mṣb.) [And حَلَفَ إِنّهُ كَذَا He swore it was so. And حَلَفَ لَهُ عَلَى كَذَا He swore to him to do such a thing.] And حَلَفَ يَمِينًا (T in art. ثنى, &c.) and عَلَى يَمِينٍ (El-Jámiʼ es-Sagheer voce مَنْ, &c.) [He swore an oath]. And لَا وَمَحْلُوفَائِهِ لَا أَفْعَلُ [No, by the swearing it, (meaning no, I swear it,) I will not do such a thing]. (Ibn-Buzurj, Ḳ.*) And مَحْلُوفَةً بِٱللّٰهِ, meaning أَحْلِفُ مَحْلُوفَةً, i. e. [I swear] an oath [by God]. (Lth, Ḳ.) Accord. to IAth, the primary signification of حَلِفٌ is The act of confederating, or making a compact or confederacy, to aid, or assist; and making an agreement: [but this meaning is afterwards said in the TA to be tropical:] when the object of this, in the time of paganism, was to aid in sedition or the like, and in fighting, and incursions into the territories of enemies, it was forbidden by Moḥammad: when the object was to aid the wronged, and for making close the ties of relationship, and the like, he confirmed it. (TA.)

حالفهُ عَلَى كَذَا He swore with him respecting, or to do, such a thing. (TA.)

Also, (Ṣ,* Ḳ,* TA,) inf. n. مُحَالَفَةٌ and حِلَافٌ, (TA,) ‡ He united with him in a confederacy, league, compact, or covenant, (Ṣ, Ḳ, TA,) [respecting, or to do, such a thing.]

And حالفهُ ‡ He clave, clung, kept, or held fast, to it: (Ḳ, TA:) see a verse of Aboo-Dhu-eyb in art. خلف, voce خَالَفَ. (TA.) You say, حالف بَثَّهُ, and حُزْنَهُ, ‡ He clave to his grief, or sorrow. (TA.)

مُحَالَفَةٌ also signifies † The establishing a brotherhood. (TA.) It is said in a trad., حَالَفَ بَيْنَ قُرَيْشٍ وَالأَنْصَارِ † He established a brotherhood between Kureysh and the Assistants. (Ṣ, TA.)

احلفهُ, (Ṣ, Mṣb, Ḳ,) inf. n. إِحْلَافٌ; (Mṣb;) andحلّفهُ↓, (Ṣ, Mṣb, Ḳ,) inf. n. تَحْلِيفٌ; (Mṣb, Ḳ;) andاستحلفهُ↓; all signify the same; (Ṣ, Mṣb, Ḳ;) [He made him to swear: and↓ the last, he asked him, or required him, to swear: and he conjured him, or adjured him; as is shown in the M in art. بلو; (see 8 in that art. in the present work;) and so↓ the second; as is shown in the explanation of the phrase أُعَمِّرُكَ ٱللّٰهَ أَنْ تَفْعَلَ in the Ḳ and TA:] said [for instance] of a judge. (TA.) You say,استحلفهُ↓ بِٱللّٰهِ مَا فَعَلَ andحلّفهُ↓ and احلفهُ [He made him to swear by God he did not, or had not done, such a thing]. (TA.)

[Hence,] أَحْلَفَ الغُلَامُ The boy passed the time when he had nearly attained to puberty: (Ḳ:) so says Lth; adding that some say, قَدْ أُحْلِفَ: and this Z mentions also, and he adds, so that it was doubted whether he had attained to puberty: but Az says that أَحْلَفَ الغُلَامُ in this sense is a mistake; and that it means only he nearly attained to puberty; so that those who looked at him differed in opinion; one saying and swearing that he had attained to puberty, and another saying and swearing the contrary. (TA.)

And أَحْلَفَتِ الحَلْفَآءُ The حلفاء attained to maturity. (IAạr, Ḳ.) [By الحلفاء would seem to be here meant the clamorous female slave: for when this word means a kind of grass, the ا is not that which denotes the fem. gender, but is a letter of quasicoordination, if its n. of un. be حَلْفَآءَةٌ, as in the Mṣb: but accord. to Sb, it is in this sense sing. and pl.; and as pl., it is fem.; and in a description of it by Aboo-Ziyád, cited by AḤn, it is made fem.]

تحالفوا عَلَى كَذَا They swore, one to another, respecting, or to do, such a thing; as alsoاحتلفوا↓. (TA.)

And تحالفوا ‡ They confederated; or united in a confederacy, league, compact, or covenant. (Ṣ. Ḳ, TA.) And تحالفا † They two united in a confederacy, &c. that their case should be one in respect of aiding and defending. (Mṣb.) And تحالفا بِالأَيْمَانِ أَنْ يَكُونَ أَمْرُهُمَا وَاحِدًا † They two united in a confederacy, &c., by oaths, that their case should be one. (Lth, TA.)

حِلْفٌ † A confederacy, league, compact, or covenant, (Ṣ, Mṣb, Ḳ,) between persons; (Ṣ, Ḳ;) as alsoحِلْفَةٌ↓: (Mṣb:) because it is not concluded, or ratified, but by swearing. (ISd, TA.)

† Friendship; or true, or sincere, friendship. (Ḳ.)

‡ A confederate of another; one who unites in a confederacy, league, compact, or covenant; (TA;) as alsoحَلِيفٌ↓: (Ṣ, Mṣb, Ḳ, TA:) or a friend, or sincere friend, who swears to his companion that he will not act unfaithfully with him: (Ḳ:) or a friend, or true friend, is thus called because he so swears; as alsoحَلِيفٌ↓: (TA:) pl. of the former أَحْلَافٌ; (Ṣ,* Ḳ;) and of the latter حُلَفَآءُ. (TA.) By the احلاف are meant, in a poem of Zuheyr, Asad and Ghatafán; because they united in a confederacy to aid each other; and the same appellation is applied to a party of Thakeef; (Ṣ, Ḳ;) and to six tribes of Kureysh, namely, ʼAbd-ed-Dár, Kaab, Jumah, Sahm, Makhzoom, and 'Adee: (Ḳ:) andالحَلِيفَانِ↓ to Benoo-Asad and Teiyi, (Ṣ, O, Ḳ,) or Asad and Ghatafán; (ISd, TA;) and Fezárah and Asad also (Ṣ, Ḳ) are termed حَلِيفَانِ. (Ṣ.)

حَلْفَةٌ An oath. (Mṣb, TA.*) You say, حَلَفَ حَلْفَةً, (TA,) andمَحْلُوفَةً↓, i. e. He swore an oath; (Lth, Ḳ;) andحَلَفَ أُحْلُوفَةً↓ [which means the same]: (Lḥ, TA:) this last word is of the measure أُفْعُولَة from الحَلِفُ. (Ḳ.)

See also حِلْفٌ.

حَلِفَةٌ: see حَلْفَآء.

أَرْضٌ حَلِفَةٌ Land abounding with [the kind of grass called] حَلْفَآء; as alsoمحلفة↓ [app. مَحْلَفَةٌ]: (TA:) or producing حلفاء. (AḤn, TA.)

حَلْفَآء [app. حَلْفَآءٌ accord. to some, and حَلْفَآءٌ accord. to others, (in the CK, erroneously, حُلَفاء,)], (Ṣ, Mṣb, Ḳ, &c.,) in measure like حَمْرَآء, [and if so, حَلْفَآءُ, but see what follows,] (Mṣb,) andحَلَفٌ↓, (Akh, Ḳ,) [A kind of high, coarse grass; called by the botanists poa multiflora, and poa cynosuroïdes;] a certain plant, (Ṣ, Mṣb, Ḳ,) [growing] in water, (Ṣ,) well known, (Mṣb,) of those termed أَغْلَاث: (TA:) Aboo-Ziyád says of the حلفاء that it seldom grows anywhere but near to water or to the bottom of a valley; and is long, or tall, (سلبة,) rough to the touch; seldom, or never, does any one lay hold upon it, for fear of his hand being cut; sometimes camels and sheep or goats eat a little of it; and it is much liked by oxen: (AḤn, TA:) [a coll. gen. n.:] n. un. حَلَفَةٌ↓, (Ṣ, Ḳ,) accord. to AZ, (Ṣ,) or Aboo-Ziyád, and AḤn, (TA,) andحَلِفَةٌ↓, (Ṣ, Ḳ,) accord. to Aṣ, (Ṣ,) and حَلْفَآءَةٌ, (Mṣb, Ḳ,) like صَحْرَآءَةٌ: (Ḳ: [in the CK like صَحْرَةٌ, and omitted in my copy of the TA:]) [this last n. un. requires that the coll. gen. n. should be حَلْفَآءٌ: (see 4, last sentence:) but] Sb says that حلفاء is sing. and pl.: [see شَجَرٌ:] (TA:) [as pl., it is fem.; and it is made fem. in the description by Aboo-Ziyád, cited above:] sometimes it has حَلَافِىُّ for pl.: and its dim. is حُلَيْفَيَّةٌ↓. (O, TA.) أَنَا الَّذِى فِى الحَلْفَآءِ, occurring in a trad., means † I am the lion; because that beast repairs to the places where the حلفاء grows: and [hence,] كَأَنَّهُ أَخُو الحَلْفَآءِ means † As though he were the lion. (TA.)

حَلْفَآءُ also signifies A clamorous female slave: (IAạr, Ḳ:) pl. حُلُفٌ. (Ḳ.)

حَلِيفٌ: see حِلْفٌ, in three places.

† Whatever cleaves, clings, keeps, or holds fast, to another thing, is termed its حَلِيف: whence one says, فُلَانٌ حَلِيفُ الجُودِ † [Such a one cleaves to liberality], &c. (TA.) You say also, هُوَ حَلِيفُ السَّهَرِ, meaning ‡ He is sleepless. (TA.)

حَلِيفُ اللِّسَانِ ‡ Sharp-tongued; (Ṣ, Z, Ḳ;) chaste, or eloquent, in speech; (Ṣ;) who conforms to the desire of his companion, as though he were a confederate. (Z, TA.)

حَلِيفُ الغَرْبِ, in a poem of Sa'ideh Ibn-Ju-eiyeh, (Skr, Ḳ,* TA,) means ‡ A sharp spear-head, (Ḳ,) or a spear with a sharp head: (Skr, TA:) or it means a brisk, lively, or sprightly, horse. (Skr, Ḳ.) Az says, سِنَانٌ حَلِيفٌ means ‡ A sharp spear-head: and I think that it is termed حليف because the sharpness of its point is likened to the sharpness of the points of [the grass called] حَلْفَآء. (TA.)

حَلَافَةٌ † Sharpness, in anything. (TA.)

وَادٍ حُلَافِىٌّ A valley that produces [the grass called] حَلْفَآء. (Ṣgh, Ḳ.)

حَالِفٌ [Swearing:] andحَلَّافٌ↓ that swears much, or often; and soحَلَّافَةٌ↓ [but in a more intensive sense]. (TA.)

مَا أَحْلَفَ لِسَانَهُ ‡ How sharp-tongued is he, (Ḳ,* TA,) and how chaste, or eloquent, in speech! (TA.)

مُحْلِفٌ ‡ Anything respecting which one doubts, so that people swear respecting it; (ISd, L, Ḳ, TA;) so called because it occasions swearing: (ISd, TA:) such is also termed مُحْنِثٌ. (L.) [Hence,] ‡ A boy of whom one doubts whether he have attained to puberty. (IAạr, TA.) [And hence] it is said, حَضَارِ وَالوَزْنُ مُحْلَفَانِ ‡ [Hadári and El-Wezn are two causes of swearing]: these are two stars: the reason of the saying is that which is explained in art. حضر, voce حَضَارِ. (Ṣ, Ḳ.) Hence, also, كُمَيْتٌ مُحْلِفَةٌ, (Ṣ,) or كميت مُحْلِفٌ, (Ḳ,) i. e. ‡ [A bay] not of a clear hue; (Ṣ, TA;) between that termed أَحْوَى and that termed أَحَمُّ: accord. to the Ḳ, of a clear hue; but this is the meaning of غَيْرُ مُحْلِفٍ. (TA.) A poet says, (Ṣ,) namely Hubeyreh Ibn-ʼAbd-Menáf El-Yarboo'ee, also called, after his mother, Ibn-El-Kelhabeh, (IB,)

* كُمَيْتٌ غَيْرُ مُحْلِفَةٍ وَلٰكِنْ *

* كَلَوْنِ الصِّرْفِ عُلَّ بِهِ الأَدِيمُ *

[A bay not of a dubious hue, but like the colour of the صرف (q. v.) with which the hide is dyed a second time]; i. e., of a clear hue, so that one does not swear that she is otherwise than such: (Ṣ, L:) accord. to IAạr, not requiring her owner to swear that he has seen her like in generousness: but the former is the right meaning. (L.) Also نَاقَةٌ مُحْلِفَةٌ ‡ A she-camel respecting the fatness of which one doubts. (TA.)