شِيبَ بِسُكَّرٍ مُذَابٍ

[dgwp]

I'm struggling with another word from Ibn Jubayr's description of his travels in Mecca (see "The Travels of Ibn Jubayr" - Wright and de Goeje, 1907, page 120) - full context given below. The mystery word is شِيبَ in a sentence describing the taste of watermelons:

إِذَا ذُقْتَهُ ﺧُﻴﱢﻞَ إِلَيْكَ أَنَّهُ شِيبَ بِسُكَّرٍ مُذَابٍ

Is it somehow related to شبه ("similarity, likeness")?

Full context:

وَمِنْ أَعْجَبِ مَا ٱخْتَبَـرْنَاهُ مِنْ فَوَاكِهِهَا ٱﻟْﺒِﻂﱢﻴﺦُ وَٱلسَّفَرْجَلُ وَكُلُّ فَوَاكِهِهَا عَجَبٌ لٰكِنْ ﻟِﻠْﺒِﻂﱢﻴﺦِ فِيهَا خَاصَّةٌ مِنَ ٱلْفَضْلِ عَجِيبَةٌ وَذٰلِكَ لِأَنَّ رَائِحَتَهُ مِنْ أَعْطَرِ ٱلرَّوَائِحِ وَأَطْيَبِهَا يَدْخُلُ بِهِ ٱلدَّاخِلُ عَلَيْكَ فَتَجِدُ رَائِحَتَهُ ٱلْعَبِقَةَ قَدْ سَبَقَتْ إِلَيْكَ فَيَكَادُ يَشْغَلُكَ ٱلاِسْتِمْتَاعُ بِطِيبِ رَيَّاهُ، عَنْ أَكْلِكَ إِيَّاهُ، حَتَّـى إِذَا ذُقْتَهُ ﺧُﻴﱢﻞَ إِلَيْكَ أَنَّهُ شِيبَ بِسُكَّرٍ مُذَابٍ

 

[analeeh]

My guess is that it's the passive of شابَ, meaning 'be mixed, adulterated'.

 

[Sun-Shine]

meaning 'be mixed'

Agree.

 

[dgwp]

I think you've hit the nail on the head - that possibility never crossed my mind! Thank you.