أَشْهَبُ

Full Definition

أَشْهَبُ Of the colour termed شُهْبَةٌ; as also شَاهِبٌ , occurring in the poetry of Hudheyl: fem. of the former شَهْبَآءُ: and pl. شُهْبٌ: the former epithet is applied to a horse, [contr. to an assertion of IAar, ] and to a he-mule, and شَهْبَآءُ to a she-mule. [Golius, on the authority of Meyd, explains أَشْهَبُ أَدْهَمُ, applied to a horse, as meaning Subniger, spadiceus: and أَشْهَبُ أَخْضَرُ as meaning lucide leviterve viridis: the correct meaning of the former seems to be of a blackish, or brownish, gray: and that of the latter, of a dark dustcoloured gray: see أَدْهَمُ and أَخْضَرُ.] الشَّهْبَآءُ was the name of a mare belonging to El-Kattál ElBejelee. Applied to a she-goat, شَهْبَآءُ signifies Of a white colour intermixed with black: thus applied, it is like مَلْحَآءُ applied to a ewe. Applied to a غُرَّة [or blaze on a horse's forehead], it means In which are hairs differing from the whiteness [of the blaze]. And الأَشَاهِبُ is [a pl. formed from الأَشْهَبُ as though this were a subst.] applied to the Benu-l-Mundhir, or one of the troops of En-Noamán Ibn-El-Mundhir, consisting of the sons of his paternal uncle and his maternal uncles, and their brethren; so called because of their comeliness, or because of the whiteness of their faces.
2 Applied to ambergris, Of an excellent colour, i. e., inclining to whiteness. And applied to an iron head or blade of an arrow or of a spear &c., That has been filed so that its blackness has gone: or that has been filed lightly, so that all its blackness has not gone. [Hence,] كَتِيبَةٌ شَهْبَآءُ A great troop having numerous weapons; so called because of the iron; or because of the whiteness of the weapons and iron, intermixed with blackness: or a troop of which the iron [of the weapons and armour] is white and bright: or, as also كَتِيبَةٌ , a troop upon which is [seen] the whiteness of the iron [weapons &c.]. (T, TA. [See also كَتِيبَةٌ مَلْحَآءُ, voce أَمْلَحُ.]) And جَيْشٌ أَشْهَبُ A strong army [app. because of its numerous weapons].
3 أَرْضٌ شَهْبَآءُ A land in which is no verdure, by reason of the paucity of rain. And [hence,] سَنَةٌ شَهْبَآءُ A year of drought, or sterility, white in consequence thereof, in which is no verdure, or in which is no rain: next in degree is the بَيْضَآء; then, the حَمْرَآء, which is more severe than the بَيْضَآء; and then, the سَوْدَآء: (TA in art. حمر:) or a year that is white by reason of the abundance of snow and the want of herbage: or a year of drought, or sterility; because the seedproduce dries up therein, and becomes yellow: and عَامٌ أَشْهَبُ signifies the same. And أَشْهَبَانِ Two white years (عَامَانِ أَبْيَضَانِ) between which is no verdure of herbage. And يَوْمٌ أَشْهَبُ A cold day: or a day of cold wind; thought to be so called on account of the snow and hoar frost and hail therein: or a day of hoar-frost: a day of cold wind and hoar frost; and [in like manner] the night (اللَّيْلَةُ) is termed شَهْبَآءُ. In the following verse, cited by Sb, فِدًى لِبَنِى ذُهْلِ بْنِ شَيْبَانَ نَاقَتِى إِذَا كَانَ يَوْمٌ ذُو كَوَاكِبَ أَشْهَبُ [May my she-camel be a ransom for the sons of Dhuhl Ibn-Sheybán when there is a day of difficulties, or distresses, . . .] the meaning may be اشهب [or whitish] by reason of the whiteness of the weapons, or by reason of the dust. And الشُّهْبُ [pl. of أَشْهَبُ], or [pl. of شِهَابٌ], [but the former, I think, is evidently the right,] The white nights; (اللَّيَالِى البِيضُ;) [i. e. the thirteenth and fourteenth and fifteenth nights of the lunar month; so called because lighted by the moon throughout, (see art. بيض;)] three nights of the month; because of the alteration of their colour.
4 أَشْهَبُ [or أَمْرٌ أَشْهَبُ] also signifies A hard, or difficult, affair or case, such as is disliked, or hated. And أَشْهَبُ بَازِلٌ A hard, or difficult, affair or case, that is beyond one's power [of accomplishment or endurance]: termed بازل because the camel thus termed is one that has attained its utmost strength. (O, TA. [See also art. بزل.])
5 And الأَشْهَبُ signifies The lion. [And in the Deewán of Jereer, it is applied to The swine. ]

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