shed1
- a slight or rude structure built for shelter, storage, etc.
- a large, strongly built structure, often open at the sides or end.
Origin of shed1
shed2
- to pour forth (water or other liquid), as a fountain.
- to emit and let fall, as tears.
- to impart or release; give or send forth (light, sound, fragrance, influence, etc.).
- to resist being penetrated or affected by: cloth that sheds water.
- to cast off or let fall (leaves, hair, feathers, skin, shell, etc.) by natural process.
- Textiles. to separate (the warp) in forming a shed.
- to fall off, as leaves.
- to drop out, as hair, seed, grain, etc.
- to cast off hair, feathers, skin, or other covering or parts by natural process.
- Textiles. (on a loom) a triangular, transverse opening created between raised and lowered warp threads through which the shuttle passes in depositing the loose pick.
- shed blood,
- to cause blood to flow.
- to kill by violence; slaughter.
Origin of shed2
Synonyms
See more synonyms for shed on Thesaurus.comshe'd
- contraction of she had.
- contraction of she would.
Usage note
Examples from the Web for shed
Contemporary Examples
“I sense that mobile games are starting to shed their skin, getting rid of all the dead things they carry around,” he says.
Lost For Thousands of Strokes: 'Desert Golfing' Is 'Angry Birds' as Modern ArtAlec Kubas-Meyer
January 2, 2015
When I first arrived at Duke, hooking up with a stranger seemed like a way to shed my inhibitions.
Both priceless papyri that could shed light on early Christianity and forgeries are openly trafficked online.
While the bats are infected, they shed large quantities of virus that can infect other animals.
We see that he has not shed his desire to return to a simpler life.
The Walking Dead’s Luke Skywalker: Rick Grimes Is the Perfect Modern-Day Mythical HeroRegina Lizik
October 28, 2014
Historical Examples
No one has seen him shed a tear, of heard him utter a complaint.
PhilotheaLydia Maria Child
The Sabbath of eternity has shed its stillness along the street.
The New Adam and Eve (From "Mosses From An Old Manse")Nathaniel Hawthorne
The door of the shed stood open, and outside there was bright sunshine.
What Sami Sings with the BirdsJohanna Spyri
I kissed her: And is it for me, my sweet Cousin, that you shed tears?
Clarissa, Volume 2 (of 9)Samuel Richardson
No wonder she shuddered at such profanation, and shed her false beard.
It Happened in EgyptC. N. Williamson
shed1
- a small building or lean-to of light construction, used for storage, shelter, etc
- a large roofed structure, esp one with open sides, used for storage, repairing locomotives, sheepshearing, etc
- a large retail outlet in the style of a warehouse
- NZ another name for freezing works
- in the shed NZ at work
- (tr) NZ to store (hay or wool) in a shed
Word Origin
shed2
- to pour forth or cause to pour forthto shed tears; shed blood
- shed light on, shed light upon, throw light on or throw light upon to clarify or supply additional information about
- to cast off or losethe snake shed its skin; trees shed their leaves
- (of a lorry) to drop (its load) on the road by accident
- to abolish or get rid of (jobs, workers, etc)
- to repelthis coat sheds water
- (also intr) (in weaving) to form an opening between (the warp threads) in order to permit the passage of the shuttle
- (tr) dialect to make a parting in (the hair)
- (in weaving) the space made by shedding
- short for watershed
- mainly Scot a parting in the hair
Word Origin
shed3
- (tr) to separate or divide off (some farm animals) from the remainder of a groupa good dog can shed his sheep in a matter of minutes
- (of a dog) the action of separating farm animals
Word Origin
shed4
- physics a former unit of nuclear cross section equal to 10 –52 square metre
Word Origin
she'd
- she had or she would
Word Origin and History for shed
n.
"building for storage," 1855, earlier "light, temporary shelter" (late 15c., shadde), possibly a dialectal variant of a specialized use of shade (n.). Originally of the barest sort of shelter. Or from or influenced in sense development by Middle English schudde (shud) "a shed, hut."
v.
"cast off," Old English sceadan, scadan "to divide, separate, part company; discriminate, decide; scatter abroad, cast about," strong verb (past tense scead, past participle sceadan), from Proto-Germanic *skaithan (cf. Old Saxon skethan, Old Frisian sketha, Middle Dutch sceiden, Dutch scheiden, Old High German sceidan, German scheiden "part, separate, distinguish," Gothic skaidan "separate"), from *skaith "divide, split."
According to Klein's sources, this probably is related to PIE root *skei- "to cut, separate, divide, part, split" (cf. Sanskrit chid-, Greek skhizein, Latin scindere "to split;" Lithuanian skedzu "I make thin, separate, divide;" Old Irish scian "knife;" Welsh chwydu "to break open"). Related: Shedding. A shedding-tooth (1799) was a milk-tooth or baby-tooth.
In reference to animals, "to lose hair, feathers, etc." recorded from c.1500; of trees losing leaves from 1590s; of clothes, 1858. This verb was used in Old English to gloss Late Latin words in the sense "to discriminate, to decide" that literally mean "to divide, separate" (cf. discern). Hence also scead (n.) "separation, distinction; discretion, understanding, reason;" sceadwisnes "discrimination, discretion."