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شنب

Root entry · 3 derived lemmas

This root primarily describes a quality of teeth, specifically their sharpness or coolness, and by extension, a pleasant coolness of the mouth. It is also used to describe a woman possessing these qualities.

Derived headwords

الشَّنَبnoun
  1. 1.
    sharpness in the teeth.both

    sharpness in the teeth.

  2. 2.
    And it is said: coolness and sweetness.both

    And it is said: coolness and sweetness.

شَنْبَاءadjective
  1. 1.
    And a woman who is shanbāʾ: clear in her shanab (sharpness/coolness of teeth).both

    And a woman who is shanbāʾ: clear in her shanab (sharpness/coolness of teeth).

بَيِّنَةُ الشَّنَبphrase
  1. 1.
    Clearly possessing 'shanab'classical

    A descriptive phrase indicating that a woman clearly exhibits the quality of 'shanab' in her teeth or mouth.

Parallel reading

الشنب: حدة في الأسنان، ويقال برد وعذوبة.
Al-shanab: sharpness in the teeth, and it is said coolness and sweetness.
وامرأة شنباء، بينة الشنب.
And a woman is shanbaa', clearly possessing shanab.
سمعت الأصمعي يقول: الشنب: برد الفم والاسنان.
I heard Al-Asma'i say: Al-shanab: coolness of the mouth and teeth.
إن أصحابنا يقولون: هو حدتها حين تطلع، فيراد بذلك حداثتها وطراءتها، لأنها إذا أتت عليها السنون احتكت.
Our companions say: it is their sharpness when they emerge, meaning their newness and freshness, because as years pass over them, they become worn.
فقال: ما هو إلا بردها.
So he said: it is nothing but their coolness.
لمياء في شفتيها حوة لعس * وفى اللثاث وفى أنيابها شنب
Lamyaa' has redness in her lips, a dark allure * and in her gums and in her canine teeth is shanab.
يؤيد قول الأصمعي، لأن اللثة (1) لا تكون فيها حدة.
This supports the saying of Al-Asma'i, because the gum does not have sharpness.