sheathing

American  

[shee-thing] / ˈʃi ðɪŋ /

noun

1. the act of a person who sheathes.

2. something that sheathes; a covering or outer layer of metal, wood, or other material, as one of metal plates on a ship's bottom, the first covering of boards on a house, etc.

3. material for forming any such covering.

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sheathing British  

/ ˈʃiːðɪŋ /

noun

1. any material used as an outer layer, as on a ship's hull

2. boarding, etc, used to cover the wall studding or roof joists of a timber frame

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Other Word Forms

• undersheathing noun

Etymology

Origin of sheathing

First recorded in 1490–1500; sheathe + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

Some of the crucial work done at Bell Labs might now seem mundane: for example, how to fabricate sheathing so undersea cables wouldn’t be chewed through by Toredo worms.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 2026

They work well to secure shingles to roofs or tar paper to wall and roof sheathing, but that’s about the extent of their usefulness.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 11, 2023

Flames soon rose into the attic, crowded with rafters and sheathing.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 5, 2023

Nicholson & Galloway, an exterior restoration contractor experienced with historical domes, repaired cracks in tiles, patched concrete, then layered on new protective materials: a hand-troweled vapor barrier, spray foam insulation, stainless-steel framing, plywood sheathing.

From New York Times • Dec. 22, 2022

When they came upon the iron bars and the distinctive copper sheathing that was also mentioned in the documents they had studied, they knew they had found the São José.

From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler

Related Words

• bark
• coating
• crust
• fur
• husk
• jacket
• membrane
• rind
• sheath
• surface