اثف1 أَثَفَ القِدْرَ: see 2.A2:  أَثَفَهُ, aor. ـِ (T, S, M, K,) inf. n. أَثْفٌ, (T, M,) He followed him. (Ks, T, S, M, K.) b2:  He drove away, or drove away and pursued closely, or hunted, him; syn. طَرَدَهُ. (Ibn-'Abbád, K.) b3:  He sought, or sought after, or pursued after, him, or it: in which sense the aor.  is اثّف القِدٌرَ, (AA, K) and تَأْثِيفٌalso. (So in some copies of the K.) 2 اثّف القِدْرَ, (T, S, M, K,) inf. n. تَأْثِيفٌ, (S, K,) He put the cooking-pot upon the أَثَافِى[pl. of أُثْفِيَّةٌ, q. v.]; (T,* S, M,* K;) as also ↓ أَثَفَهَا, (M, TA,) inf. n. أَثْفٌ; (TA;) or ↓ آثَفَهَا, (so in some copies of the K in art. ثفى,) inf. n. إِيثَافٌ; (TA in that art.;) the first of which is a dial. var. of ثَفَّاهَا, inf. n. تَثْفِيَةٌ; (S;) and ↓ أَثْفَاهَا, whence قِدْرٌ مُؤَثْفَاةٌ. (M.) 4 آثَفَ see 2.5 تَأَثًّفَتِ القِدْرُ The cooking-pot was put upon the أَثَافِى. (TA.) A2:  تَأَثَّفُوهُ They surrounded him, or it: (S, K: *) they became around him, or it, like the أُثْفِيَّة[or rather like the أَثَافِى]: (M:) they collected themselves together around him, or it. (A, TA.) b2: تأثّف المَكَانَ, (T, S, K,) or بِالمَكَانِ, (M,) He (a man, S) kept to the place; (T, K;) remained in it; (M;) did not quit it. (Az, T, S, M.) b3:  تأثّفهُ also signifies He followed after him, and pressed or importuned him, and ceased not to incite him. (T, K.) In my opinion, [says Az,] this is not in any way derived from الأُثْفِيَّةُ; but from أَثَفْتُ الرَّجُلَ, meaning “ I followed the man.” (T.) b4:  And تأثّفوا عَلَى الأَمْرِ They aided, or assisted, one another to do, or accomplish, the thing, or affair. (M, L.) Q. Q. 1 أَثْفَى القِدْرَ: see 2. [But accord. to Az, in the T, يُؤَثْفِى, as aor.  of أَثْفَى, is يُثْفِى reduced to its original form; and the like is said in the S and M in art. ثفى. If this be the case, مُؤَثْفَاةٌ, q. v., may be مُثْفَاةٌreduced in the same manner, i. e., to its original form.]أَثِفٌ [probably a mistake for ↓آثِفٌ] Continuing, permanent, constant, firm, or established: (K, TA:) so in the Moheet. (TA.) b2:  Also, (K, and so in a copy of the S,) or ↓ آثِفٌ, [agreeably with analogy, and therefore more probably the correct form,] (so in other copies of the S and in the T,) Following. (Ks, T, S, K.) أُثْفِيَّةٌ and إِثْفِيَّةٌ [the former of which is the more common, and this only I find in copies of the T,] The stone [which is one of the three] whereon the cooking-pot is placed: (A'Obeyd, M, K:) it is, with the Arabs, a stone like the head of a man: (T:) the pl. is أَثَافِيُّ and أَثَافٍ; (T, S, [in which latter it is written differently in different copies, with the article prefixed, الأَثَافِيُّ and الأَثَافِي, but in both manners in art. ثفى,] M, K;) the latter being allowable; (T,) or, accord. to Akh, the latter only is used by the Arabs; (M;) applied to the three stones mentioned above: (TA in art. سفع; &c.:) upon these the cooking-pot is set up; but what is of iron, having three legs, is not called اثفيّة, but مِنْصَبٌ; (T;) [and this is what is meant by أَثْفِيَّةٌ مِنْ حَدِيدٍ in art. سفعin the K;] i. e. an iron trivet upon which a cooking-pot is set up. (TA in art. نصب.) أُثْفيَّةٌ may be of the measure فُعْلُويَةٌ [from اثف], and it may be of the measure أُفْعُولَةٌ [from ثفى; in either case originally أُثْفُويَةٌ]. (A, L.) ثَالِثَةُ الأَثَافِى signifies The part, not detached, of a mountain; by the side of which, two pieces are put [for the cookingpot to be set thereon]. (A'Obeyd, T, K.) and hence the saying, (A'Obeyd, T,) رَمَاهُ اللّٰهُ بثَالِثَةِ, الأَثَافِي(A'Obeyd, T, K) May God smite him with the mountain; meaning, with a calamity; (Th, TA, K in art. ثفى;) with a calamity like the mountain [in greatness]; (Th, M;) for when they do not find the third of the اثافى, they rest the cooking-pot [partly] upon the mountain: (M, K, in art. ثفى:) or, with difficulties, or troubles, or calamities: (As, T:) or, with all evil; evils being likened to one اثفيّةafter another, and the third being the last: (T, K:) so says Aboo-Sa'eed: (T:) or, with the last of evil; and the last of everything hateful: (AO in Har p. 84:) or, with a great calamity. (Har ib.) One says also, الأَثَافِى فُلَانٌ ثَالِثَةُ, meaning (tropical:)  Such a one is the heaviest, most burdensome, or most troublesome, of the people. (Har ubi suprà.) b2:  [Hence also,] الأَثَافِىis a name applied to (assumed tropical:)  certain stars [accord. to Ideler, as mentioned by Freytag in his Lex., the stars σand τand υDraconis] over against the head of the قِدْر; which is the name of certain stars disposed in a round form. (AHát, K.) [Also] a name given by the vulgar to (assumed tropical:)  [The three chief stars in the constellation called] الشَّلْيَاقُ[i. e. Lyra]. (Kzw.) b3:  The sing., (K,) i. e. each of the two forms thereof, but written in the copies of the S with damm [only], (TA in art. ثفى,) or [only] the latter, with kesr, (M, and so in the K in art. ثفى,) also signifies (assumed tropical:)  A number, (M,) or a great number, (K, and so in the S in art. ثفى,) and a company, or congregated body, of men: (M, K:) pl. as above. (M.) You say, هُمْ عَلَيْهِ أُثْفِيَّةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ (assumed tropical:)  [They are against him one band]. (TA.) And 
بَقِيَتْ مِنْ بَنِى فُلَانٍ أُثْفِيَّةٌ خَشْنَآءُ
There remained of the sons of such a one a great number. (S in art. ثفى.) آثفٌ: see أَثفٌ, in two places.مُؤَثَّفٌ(assumed tropical:)  Short, broad, plump, and fleshy. (K.) b2:  And, with ة, (tropical:)  A woman whose husband has two wives beside her; she being the third of them: they being likened to the أَثَافِىof the cookingpot. (M.) [See also مُثَفَّاةٌ, in art. ثفى.) قِدْرٌ مُؤَثْفَاةٌA cooking-pot put upon the أَثَافِى [pl. of أُثْفِيَّةٌ, q. v.]. (M, and K in art. ثفى: in some copies of the latter, مؤْثَفَاةٌ.) [See Q. Q. 1.]