دَحَيْتُهُ A single act of دَحْىٌ, i. e. spreading,, &c. (Mṣb.)

A she-ape, or she-monkey. (Ḳ.)

دِحْيَةٌ A mode, or manner, of دَحْىٌ, i. e. spreading,, &c. (Mṣb.)

A headman, or chief, (R, Ḳ, TA,) in an absolute sense, in the dial. of El-Yemen, (R, TA,) and particularly, of an army, or a military force. (Ḳ, TA.) AA says that it originally signifies “a lord,” or “chief,” in Pers.; but seems to be from دَحَاهُ, aor. يَدْحُوهُ, meaning “he spread it, and made it plain or even;” because it is for the headman or chief to do this; the و being changed into ى as it is in صِبْيَةٌ and فِتْيَةٌ; and if so, it belongs to art. دحو. (TA.) [Accord. to Golius, the pl. is دِحَآءٌ; but I think that it is more probably دِحًى.] It is said in a trad. that what is called البَيْتُ المَعْمُورُ [q. v. in art. عمر] is entered every day by seventy thousand companies of angels, every one of these companies having with it a دِحْيَة and consisting of seventy thousand angels. (TA.)

مِدْحَاةٌ (mentioned in this art. in the Ḳ): see art. دحو.