[1]
[أَنُثَ , aor.
يَأْنُثُ , inf. n. أَنَاثَةٌ and أُنُوثَةٌ, (see the
former of these two ns. below,)] It was, or became,
female, feminine, or of the feminine gender. ―
2-b2-
And hence, أَنُثَتْ, said of land (أَرْض), (tropical:) It was,
or became, such as is termed أَنِيثَة. ―
2-b3- Hence also,
أَنُثَ, said of iron, (tropical:) It was, or became, soft.
(Golius, from the larger of two editions of the
lexicon entitled مرقاة اللغة.) Accord. to IAar,
softness is the primary signification. (M.) [But
accord. to the A, the second and third of the
meanings given above are tropical: (see أَنِيثٌ:)
and the verb in the first of the senses here assigned
to it, if not proper, is certainly what is termed
حَقِيقَة عُرْفِيَّة, i. e., conventionally regarded as
proper.]