اللَّبَنَاتِportions of milk

Example sentences

• فَيَقُولُ أَطْيَبُ اللَّبَنَاتِ مَا بَاتَ فِي الضَّرْعِ،

  So he says, 'The best portions of milk are that which stayed overnight in the udder.'

  اللَّبَنَاتِ — the portions of milk. A definite plural noun carrying al- ('the'), and it is the owning half of the 'best of...' pairing before it, the group from which the best is drawn. Because it is governed by that pairing it takes the genitive ending, and the relative clause after it ('that which stayed...') narrows down which portions are meant. Its definiteness and case mark its role as the pool being selected from.

  From: Mothers and the Companions →