Classical Arabic - English Dictionary

سَمْتٌ [as an inf. n.] is syn. with قَصْدٌ [in an intrans. sense], (Ṣ,* Mṣb,) and هُدًى [in the sense of رَشَادٌ], and اِسْتِقَامَةٌ: (Mṣb:) or حُسْنُ نَحْوٍ: (M, Ḳ:) you say, سَمَتَ, aor. ـُ {يَسْمُتُ}, (Ṣ, M, Ḳ,) and ـِ, (Ḳ,) or in this case the former only, (TA,) inf. n. سَمْتٌ, (M, TA,) He pursued a right course; syn. قَصَدَ: (Ṣ, TA:) or † he followed a good direction (M, Ḳ,* TA *) in the way of religion [&c.]. (TA.) Accord. to Khálid Ibn-Dabbeh, it signifies † The following the truth and the right way or direction, and being a good neighbour, and doing little harm. (TA.) [But more commonly, or primarily, it relates to the course that one pursues in journeying.] An Arab of the desert, of [the tribe of] Keys, says,

* سَوْفَ تَجُوبِينَ بِغَيْرِ نَعْتِ *

* تَعَسُّفًا أَوْ هٰكَذَا بِالسَّمْتِ *

i. e. [Thou shalt traverse (addressing a woman), or, more probably, ye shall traverse (addressing camels or other beasts), a land without a description], journeying without any sign of the way and without any track [for guidance], such being the meaning of تعسّفا, or thus, pursuing a right course, السَّمْتُ meaning القَصْدُ. (TA.) Accord. to Sh, السَّمْتُ signifies The seeking, searching, or inquiring, for, or after, the right way or direction. (TA.)

السَّمْتُ also signifies قَصدُ الطَّرِيقِ [i. e. سَمْتُ الطَّرِيقِ signifies The road's having a right, or direct, tendency]: (M:) or [سَمْتُ الشَّىْءِ] signifies قَصْدُ الشَّىْءِ [i. e. The thing's having a right, or direct, tendency]. (Ḳ.) [This last explanation has been misunderstood by the Turkish translator of the Ḳ; who has hence been led to assert that one says, سَمَتَ الشَّىْءَ as well as سَمَتَ نَحْوَهُ, meaning قَصَدَهُ: it is تَسَمَّتَهُ that (like سَمَتَ نَحْوَهُ) signifies قَصَدَهُ; not سَمَتَهُ, for سَمَتَ is always intrans.]

Also The journeying (Ṣ, M, Ḳ) upon the road (M, Ḳ) [guided only] by opinion (Ṣ, M, Ḳ) and conjecture: (Ṣ:) or, as some say, the journeying by conjecture and opinion, not upon a [known] road. (TA.) A poet says,

*لَيْسَ بِهَا رِيعٌ لِسَمْتِ السَّامِتِ↓ *

[There is not, or was not, in it, a road of any kind (see رِيعٌ) for the journeying by opinion and conjecture of him who so journeys]. (Ṣ, TA.)

And The pursuing a course, or direction, [of any kind,] and [particularly] † in religion and in worldly affairs. (TA.) You say, هُوَ يَسْمُتُ سَمْتَهُ † He pursues his [another's] way, or course, doing as he [the latter] does. (TA.) [سَمْتَهُ is here an absolute (not an objective) complement of يَسْمُتُ; like سَيْرَهُ in the phrase هُوَيَسِيرُ سَيْرَهُ. See also سَمْتٌ below.]

Also سَمَتَ, aor. ـُ {يَسْمُتُ}, inf. n. سَمْتٌ, † He (a man) was, or became, grave, staid, steady, sedate, or calm. (Mṣb.)

And سَمَتَ لَهُمْ, aor. ـِ {يَسْمِتُ}, (Fr, Ḳ,) inf. n. سَمْتٌ, (Fr, TA,) † He prepared, arranged, or disposed, for them, the mode, or manner, of speech, and of judging, or forming an opinion, (Fr, Ḳ, TA,) and of work, or action. (Fr, TA.)

تَسْمِيتٌ The keeping to the سَمْت [i. e. road,, &c.]. (Ḳ.) It is said in a trad., فَٱنْطَلَقْتُ لَا أَدْرِى أَيْنَ أَذْهَبُ إِلَّا أَنَّنِى أُسَمِّتُ, meaning [And I departed, not knowing whither I should go, but] I kept to the course, or direction, of the road: or as some say, I prayed to God. (TA.)

Also † The mentioning of God, (Ṣ, M, A, Mṣb, Ḳ,) or, as in some copies of the Ṣ, the mentioning of the name of God, [like تَسْمِيَةٌ, inf. n. of سَمَّى,] (TA,) upon, or over, a thing, (Ṣ, M, A, Mṣb, Ḳ,) or in any case. (TA.) One says, سَمَّتَ عَلَى الطَّعَامِ † He mentioned the name of God upon, or over, the food. (TḲ.)

And سمّت لَهُ and عَلَيْهِ, inf. n. تَسْمِيتٌ, † He prayed for what was good for him; prayed for a blessing upon him; as also شمّت. (L and TA in art. شمت, q. v.) In a trad. respecting eating, it is said, سَمُّوا ٱللّٰهَ وَدَنُّوا وَسَمِّتُوا, meaning † [Pronounce ye the name of God, and take what is next you of the food, or make your words to be near together, (see 2 in arts. دنو and سمو,) and,] when ye have ended, invoke a blessing upon him at whose abode or table ye have eaten. (TA.)

التَّسْنِيتُ also signifies, (M, Ḳ,) or تَسْمِيتُ العَاطِسِ, (Ṣ, Mṣb,) † The praying for the sneezer; (M, Mṣb, Ḳ;) saying, هَدَاكَ ٱللّٰهُ إِلَى السَّمْتِ [May God guide thee to the right, or good, course]; because the person sneezing is disturbed and disquieted: so says AAF: (M, TA:) or the saying to him, يَرْحَمُكَ ٱللّٰهُ [May God have mercy on thee]: (Th, Ṣ, M:) or التَّسْمِيتُ signifies the saying بَارَكَ ٱللّٰهُ فِيكَ [May God bless thee]: (ISh, TA:) it is with س and with ش: (Ṣ, M, Mṣb:) one says سَمَّتَهُ, (T, M, Mṣb,) i. e. سَمَّتَ العَاطِسَ, meaning He prayed for the sneezer, [saying as above,] (A,) and شَمَّتَهُ: (T, M, Mṣb:) Th says that the former is preferred, (Ṣ,) or is the original, (Mṣb,) being from السَّمْتُ signifying القَصْدُ, (Ṣ, M, Mṣb,) and الهُدَى, and الاِسْتِقَامَةُ, (Mṣb,) and المَحَجَّةُ, (Ṣ,) or الطَّرِيقُ; (M;) as though one made a person his object by this prayer; (M;) and that the س is changed [by some] into ش: (TA:) but AʼObeyd says that the pronunciation with ش is of higher authority, and more common. (Ṣ, Mṣb.) The Prophet said, When any of you sneezes, let him say, الحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ [Praise be to God]; and he who prays for him (الَّذِى يُشَنِّتُهُ [or يُسَمِّتُهُ]), يَرْحَمُكَ ٱللّٰهُ; and let him [i. e. the sneezer] say [in reply], يَهْدِيكُمُ ٱللّٰهُ وَيُصْلِحُ بَالَكُمْ [May God direct you aright, and render good your state, or condition, or case]. (Ḥar p. 250.)

سامتهُ, inf. n. مُسَامَتَةٌ, He, or it, faced, or fronted, or was opposite to or over against, him, or it. (Mṣb, TA.)

تسمّتهُ, (Aṣ, Ṣ, A, TA,) [and] تسمّت لَهُ, (M,) He directed himself, or his course, or aim, to, or towards, him, or it; syn. قَصَدَهُ, (Ṣ, M,) or تَعَمَّدَهُ, and قَصَدَ نَحْوَهُ. (Aṣ, A, TA.)

سَمْتٌ inf. n. of 1 [q. v.]. (M, TA.)

Also A road, or way; syn. طَرِيقٌ, (Ṣ, M, A, Mgh, Mṣb, Ḳ,) and مَحَجَّةٌ, (Th, Ṣ,) and نَحْوٌ: (A:) [pl. سُمُوتٌ.] One says, اِلْزَمْ هٰذَا السَّمْتَ Keep thou to this road, or way. (TA.)

And [hence,] † The way, or course, that one pursues in his religion and his worldly affairs: (TA:) † a way, mode, or manner, of acting or conduct or the like: (Ṣ, TA:) ‡ the mode, or manner, [of life,] syn. هَيْئَة, (Ṣ, A, Mgh, Mṣb, Ḳ, TA,) of good people, (Ṣ, A, Mgh, Ḳ, TA,) in respect of religion, not in respect of goodliness of person: (TA:) a metaphorical meaning, from the same word as signifying “a road,” or “way.” (Mgh.) One says, إِنَّهُ لَحَسَنُ السَّمْتِ † Verily he is good in respect of the way, or course, that he pursues in his religion and his worldly affairs: (TA:) or هُوَحَسَنُ السَّمْتِ means † he is good in his هَيْئَة [i. e., as here used, mode, or manner, of life]. (Mṣb.) And مَا أَحْسَنَ سَمْتَهُ ‡ How good is his way, mode, or manner, of acting or conduct or the like! (Ṣ, A,* Mgh,* TA.)

[Hence,] † Gravity, staidness, steadiness, sedateness, or calmness. (Mṣb.)

السَّمْتُ also signifies The region, or quarter, to which, or towards which, the course, or aim, is directed. (M.)

[And hence, The bearing, or direction, of an object by the compass. And more particularly, The azimuth.]

[And سَمْتُ الرَّأْسِ The zenith; or vertical point in the heavens. (“Zenit” appears to have been, as Golius observes, a mistranscription for “zemt,” or “semt.”)]

[سَمْتُ الشَّمْسِ The path of the sun; the ecliptic: from سَمْتٌ signifying “a road,” or “way.”]

[سَمْتُ الاِعْتِدَالِ The equinoctial colure. And سَمْتُ الاِنْقِلَابِ The solstitial colure.]

سَامِتٌ [part. n. of 1]: see an ex. in the latter half of the first paragraph of this art.

مُسَمِّتٌ † Any one praying, or who prays, for what is good, (Ṣ and TA in art. شمت,) لِأَحَدٍ [for any one]; (TA in that art.;) as also مُشَمِّتٌ: (Ṣ and TA in that art.:) any one praying, or who prays, for a return to the right, or good, way, and continuance therein. (Mṣb.)

مُتَسَمَّتُ النَّعْلِ The part of the sandal that is below its مُخَصَّر [or narrow part, more commonly called its خَصْر, extending thence] to its extremity. (Ḳ.)