أَشْيَبُ

Full Definition

أَشْيَبُ White-haired, white-headed, or horary: [it is said to be] anomalous in form; for an epithet of this measure is only formed [by rule] from a verb of the measure فَعِلَ, Present.T يَفْعَلُ; and it is a condition of the formation of such an epithet that it must denote a defect or the like, or a colour: but أَشْيَبُ signifies white-headed, or hoaryheaded; [so that it does denote a colour;] and ElKhafájee says that it is reckoned among epithets denoting defects, or blemishes, like أَعْمَى and أَعْرَجُ: it is said in the K that it has no فَعْلَآء, i. e., the epithet شَيْبَآءُ is not applied to a woman; شَمْطَآءُ being used in its stead; though one says شَابَ رَأْسُهَا: [but see Har p. 418, where شَيْبَآءُ is mentioned, applied to a woman, as meaning aged, and white, or hoary, in the head: and see شَيْبَآءُ in art. شوب:] the pl. is شِيبٌ; with which is syn. شُيَّبٌ; and شُيُبٌ : this last is said by IM to be allowable in poetry, عَلَى التَّمَامِ [here meaning as though it were a word composed of sound letters]; and this is the assertion of the lexicologists [in general]: ISd thinks it to be pl. of شَائِبٌ [q. v.], like as بُزُلٌ is of بَازِلٌ; or pl. of شَيُوبٌ [which app. means very white or hoary in the head], accord. to the dial. of the people of El-Hijáz, who say دَجَاجَةٌ بَيُوضٌ and دَجَاجٌ بُيُضٌ.
2 [Hence,] one says, رَأَيْتُ الجِبَالَ شِيبًا I saw the mountains white with snow and hoar frost. And شِيبٌ [used alone] signifies Mountains upon which snow falls, and which are white, or hoary, therewith: or mountains white with snow or with dust: and, some say, white clouds: sing. أَشْيَبُ. And, applied to truffles (كَمْأَة), White and large: or simply white. (Id. voce تَعَاشِيبُ.)
3 يَوْمٌ أَشْيَبُ A day in which are cold and clouds and صُرَاد [correctly صُرَّاد, meaning thin clouds, or cold and humid clouds, in which is no water]; as also يَوْمٌ شَيْبَانُ .
4 لَيْلَةُ الشَّيْبَآءِ, or لَيْلَةُ شَيْبَآءَ, and لَيْلَةٌ شَيْبَآءُ, (TA voce حُرٌّ,) The last night of the [lunar] month: its first night is called لَيْلَةُ حُرَّةٍ and لَيْلَةٌ حُرَّةٌ. (K voce حُرٌّ.) بَاتَتْ بِلَيْلَةِ شَيْبَآءَ, and بِلَيْلَةِ الشَّيْبَآءِ: see in art. شوب.

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Lane's Arabic-English Lexicon

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