ROOT ه م س

[1] هَمَس , aor. هَمِسَ , (A, TA,) inf. n. هَمْس (AHeyth, L, TA) and هَمِيسٌ and هُمُوسٌ, (L, TA,) He spoke inaudibly: (AHeyth, TA:) or in a low, faint, gentle, or soft, manner, (AHeyth, TA,) so as to be hardly intelligible. (TA.) It is said in a trad. فَجَعَلَ بَعْضُنَا يَهْمِسُ إِلَى بَعْضٍ And some of us began to speak to others in a low, faint, gentle, or soft, manner, so as to be hardly intelligible. (TA.) And in another trad., كَانَ ذَا إِصَلَّى العَصْرَ هَمَسَ بِشَىْءٍ لَا نَفْهَمُهُ He used, when he performed the afternoon-prayer, to utter something in a low, faint, gentle, or soft manner, we not understanding it. (TA.) You say also, هَمَسَ إِلَىَّ بِحَدِيثِهِ [He uttered his discourse to me inaudibly: or in a low, faint, gentle, or soft, manner.] (A.) And الشَّيْطَانُ يَهْمِسُ بِوَسْوَسَتِهِ صَدْرَ الإِنْسَانِ [The devil speaks inaudibly in his suggesting vain or unprofitable things into the bosom of man]. (A.) And هَمَسَ الشَّيْطَانُ فِى الصَّدْرِ The devil suggested vain, or unprofitable things in the bosom; syn. وَسْوَسَ. (TA.) See also هَمْسٌ below. ― 2-b2- Also, aor. and inf. n. as above, He made the faintest, or slightest, sound in treading. So in the saying, إِهْمِسْ وَصَهْ and هَمْسًا وَصَهْ Make thou the faintest, or slightest, sound in treading, and be thou silent: addressed by a thief to his companion. (TA.) And hence the saying of the Rájiz, فَهُنَّ يَمْشِينَ بِهِ هَمِيسَا And they walk with him making the faintest, or slightest, sound in treading. (S.) هَمِيسٌ also signifies The walking softly; with a soft-sounding tread: (TA:) [and so هَمْسٌ; as in the saying,] سَمِعْتُ هَمْسَ الأَخْفَافِ وَالأَقْدَامِ [I heard the soft-sounding treading of the feet of camels and of the feet of men]. (A.) See also هَمْسٌ below. ＝ 1-A2- هَمَسَ الصَّوْتَ, aor. هَمِسَ , inf. n. هَمْسٌ, He made the sound, or voice to be low, faint, gentle, or soft. (Msb.) And هَمَسَ الكَلَامَ, [aor. and] inf. n. as above, [He spoke in a low, faint, gentle, or soft manner; like هَمَسَ alone; lit.,] he made speech, or the speech to be low, faint, gentle, or soft. (A, TA.) ＝ 1-A3- هَمَسَ الطَّعَامَ, (TK), [aor. and] inf. n. as above, (AZ, K,) He chewed the food with the mouth closed: (AZ, K, TA:) or without opening the mouth. (TA.) You say, هُوَ يَْكُلُ هَمْسًا He eats without opening his mouth. (A.) Hence, a toothless old woman's eating is termed هَمْسٌ. (AHeyth.) هَمَسَهُ also signifies [simply] He chewed it. (TA.)