definitions

sheath

[ sheeth ]
/ ʃiθ /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR sheath ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural sheaths [sheeth z] /ʃiðz/.

verb (used with object)

to sheathe.

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RELATED WORDS

covering, coat, cover, sheathing, wrapping, scabbard, spathe, case, envelope, wrapper, capsule, skin, dress

Nearby words

shearlegs, shearling, shears, shearwater, sheatfish, sheath, sheath knife, sheath of eyeball, sheath of schwann, sheathbill, sheathe

Origin of sheath

before 950; Middle English s(c)heth(e), Old English scēath; cognate with German Scheide; see shed2
Related formssheath·less, adjectivesheath·like, sheath·y, adjective
Can be confusedsheath sheathe
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sheath

British Dictionary definitions for sheath

sheath

/ (ʃiːθ) /

noun plural sheaths (ʃiːðz)

verb

(tr) another word for sheathe

Word Origin for sheath

Old English scēath; related to Old Norse skeithir, Old High German sceida a dividing; compare Old English scādan to divide
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for sheath

sheath

n.

Old English sceað, scæð, from Proto-Germanic *skaithiz (cf. Old Saxon scethia, Old Norse skeiðir (plural), Old Frisian skethe, Middle Dutch schede, Dutch schede, Old High German skaida, German scheide "a sheath, scabbard"), according to OED, possibly from root *skei- "divide, split" (see shed (v.)) on notion of a split stick with the sword blade inserted. Meaning "condom" is recorded from 1861; sense of "close-fitting dress or skirt" is attested from 1904.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Medicine definitions for sheath

sheath

[ shēth ]

n. pl. sheaths (shēðz, shēths)

An enveloping tubular structure, such as the tissue that encloses a muscle or nerve fiber.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Science definitions for sheath

sheath

[ shēth ]

An enveloping tubular structure, such as the base of a grass leaf that surrounds the stem or the tissue that encloses a muscle or nerve fiber.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.