sheaf
Americannoun
plural
sheaves-
one of the bundles in which cereal plants, as wheat, rye, etc., are bound after reaping.
-
any bundle, cluster, or collection.
a sheaf of papers.
verb (used with object)
noun
-
a bundle of reaped but unthreshed corn tied with one or two bonds
-
a bundle of objects tied together
-
the arrows contained in a quiver
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of sheaf
before 900; Middle English shefe (noun), Old English schēaf; cognate with Dutch schoof sheaf, German Schaub wisp of straw, Old Norse skauf tail of a fox
Explanation
Those old love letters tied up with a ribbon at the back of your closet? Last week's newspapers bundled up for recycling? Each is a sheaf — a tied up bundle of something ready for storage or carrying. Although sheaf almost always refers to bundles of paper, there's one striking exception to this, as any fan of Robin Hood knows. What Robin and his merry men carried on their backs were sheaves — bundles of arrows held in a handy little case called a quiver. After all, a sheaf of love letters or newspapers would make a pretty poor weapon against the evil Sheriff of Nottingham.
Vocabulary lists containing sheaf
Beowulf: A New Telling
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The Unteachables
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The Contender
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Rasmus Hojlund scored the decisive penalty kick to save United from another embarrassing collapse after Callum O’Hare and Ben Sheaf had missed their spot kicks for Coventry.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 21, 2024
Casemiro missed United’s first penalty by shooting straight at goalkeeper Bradley Collins but Andre Onana saved O’Hare’s spot kick before Sheaf sent his well over the crossbar.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 21, 2024
But Sheaf, who frequently wore the captain's armband in the absence of Liam Kelly, picked up a hamstring injury and Allen fractured his cheekbone, leaving a gaping hole.
From BBC • Mar. 15, 2024
Police were called to Sheaf Lane, Sheldon, just before 15:00 GMT on Saturday.
From BBC • Mar. 19, 2023
Yet he knew the constellations by name: the Sheaf, the Door, the One Who Turns, the Tree.
From "A Wizard of Earthsea" by Ursula K. Le Guin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
