أَشْيَبُ

White-haired, white-headed, or horary: (S, A, Mgh, Msb, K:) [it is said to be] anomalous in form; (S, Mgh, Msb;) for an epithet of this measure is only formed [by rule] from a verb of the measure فَعِلَ, aorist يَفْعَلُ; (S, TA;) 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: (MF, TA:) it is said in the K that it has no فَعْلَاء, i. e., (TA,) the epithet شَيْبَاءُ is not applied to a woman; (Msb, TA;) شَمْطَاءُ being used in its stead; (TA;) though one says شَابَ رَأْسُهَا: (Msb, TA:) [but see Har p. 418, where شَيْبَاءُ is mentioned, applied to a woman, as meaning aged, and white, or hoary, in the head: and see شَيْبَاءُ in article شوب:] the plural is شِيبٌ; (S, A, Mgh, Msb, K;) with which is synonym شُيَّبٌ; (TA, as from the K; [but not found by me in the copies of the K to which I have had access;]) and ↓ شُيُبٌ: (K, TA:) 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 plural of ↓ شَايءِبٌ [q. v.], like as بُزُلٌ is of بَازِلٌ; or plural of ↓ شَيُوبٌ [which apparently means very white or hoary in the head], according to the dialect of the people of El-Hijáz, who say دَجَاجَةٌ بَيُوضٌ and دَجَاجٌ بُيُضٌ. (TA.)

[Hence,] one says, رَأَيْتُ الجِبَالَ شِيبًا (tropical:) I saw the mountains white with snow and hoar frost. (A, TA.) And شِيبٌ [used alone] signifies (assumed tropical:) Mountains upon which snow falls, and which are white, or hoary, therewith: (S, L:) or mountains white with snow or with dust: and, some say, white clouds: singular أَشْيَبُ. (L, TA.) And, applied to truffles (كَمْأَة), (assumed tropical:) White and large: (TA:) or simply white. (Id. voce تَعَاشِيبُ.)

يَوْمٌ أَشْيَبُ (assumed tropical:) 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. (K.)

لَيْلَةُ الشَّيْبَاءِ, (K,) or لَيْلَةُ شَيْبَاءَ, (TA,) and لَيْلَةٌ شَيْبَاءُ, (TA voce حُرٌّ,) (assumed tropical:) The last night of the [lunar] month: (K, TA:) its first night is called لَيْلَةُ حُرَّةٍ and لَيْلَةٌ حُرَّةٌ. (K voce حُرٌّ.) بَاتَتْ بِلَيْلَةِ شَيْبَاءَ, and بِلَيْلَةِ الشَّيْبَاءِ: see in article شوب.