نفس doesn't appear in Hans Wehr's Modern Standard Arabic dictionary, but Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon has 3 entries for it, distinguished by diacritics. Select one below for the full classical Arabic definition.

• نَفُسَ Form 1

  1 نَفُسَ ذ , aor. نَفُسَ , inf. n. نَفَاسَةٌ (S, M, A, Msb, K) and نِفَاسٌ and نَفسٌ (K) and نُفُوسٌ; (TA;) and , (M, A, Msb,) inf. n. إِنْفَاسٌ; (A, Msb;) It was, or became, high in estimation, of high account, or excel…

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• نَفْسٌ

  نَفْسٌ ذ The soul; the spirit; the vital principle; syn. رُوحٌ: (S, M, A, Msb, K:) but between these two words is a difference [which must be fully explained hereafter, though ISd says, that it is not of the purpose of h…

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• نَفَسٌ

  نَفَسٌ ذ [Breath;] what is drawn in by the airpassages in the nose, [or by the mouth,] to the inside, and emitted, (Msb;) what comes forth from a living being in the act of تَنَفُّس. (Mgh:) or the exit of wind from the n…

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