sheathe
Americanverb (used with object)
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to put (a sword, dagger, etc.) into a sheath.
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to plunge (a sword, dagger, etc.) in something as if in a sheath.
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to enclose in or as if in a casing or covering.
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to cover or provide with a protective layer or sheathing.
to sheathe a roof with copper.
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to cover (a cable, electrical connector, etc.) with a metal sheath for grounding.
verb
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to insert (a knife, sword, etc) into a sheath
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(esp of cats) to retract (the claws)
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to surface with or encase in a sheath or sheathing
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of sheathe
1350–1400; Middle English shethen, derivative of sheath
Explanation
The verb sheathe means to place in a sheath. What's a sheath? Well, that's any kind of protective covering. With that extra "e" on the end sheathe gives off a very old English vibe. Perhaps that's because all those knights were often sheathing their swords so as not to scare the fair ladies. Those knights were also sheathed in armor when going into battle or setting off to joust. These days, with medieval armaments in low demand, not much gets sheathed — except maybe the kitchen knives in the knife block or your cat's claws when they retract.
Vocabulary lists containing sheathe
The Sea of Monsters
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Slaughterhouse-Five
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Pax
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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.
Architect Daniel Huntington’s Hotel Piedmont even went so far as to use a large quantity of art tile from the Malibu Tile Company to sheathe the street-level facades.
From Seattle Times • Sep. 8, 2023
Most migraine researchers think that the pain of an attack is generated by increased firing of the trigeminal nerves, which carry sensory information from the face and the meninges that sheathe the brain.
From Nature • Oct. 13, 2020
Others rely on a system that can sheathe a painting with a hard surface on command—useful both for security and to protect the art when residents are away.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 1, 2015
Ma compounds that mistake by proposing to sheathe his mountain in blocks of whitish-gray stone or a fancy form of concrete, not the sleek metal skins with which he's draped his previous museums.
From Chicago Tribune • Nov. 6, 2014
Though she would never quite articulate it this way, resentment began to sheathe concern.
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
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.
