sheet

¹

[ sheet ]

noun

1. a large rectangular piece of cotton, linen, or other material used as an article of bedding, commonly spread in pairs so that one is immediately above and the other immediately below the sleeper.
2. a broad, relatively thin, surface, layer, or covering.
3. a relatively thin, usually rectangular form, piece, plate, or slab, as of photographic film, glass, metal, etc.
4. material, as metal or glass, in the form of broad, relatively thin pieces.
5. a sail, as on a ship or boat.
6. a rectangular piece of paper or parchment, especially one on which to write.
7. a newspaper or periodical.
8. Printing and Bookbinding. a large, rectangular piece of printing paper, especially one for printing a complete signature.
9. Philately. the impression from a plate or the like on a single sheet of paper before any division of the paper into individual stamps.
10. an extent, stretch, or expanse, as of fire or water:

    sheets of flame.

11. a thin, flat piece of metal or a very shallow pan on which to place food while baking.
12. Geology. a more or less horizontal mass of rock, especially volcanic rock intruded between strata or poured out over a surface.
13. Mathematics.
    1. one of the separate pieces making up a geometrical surface:

       a hyperboloid of two sheets.

    2. one of the planes or pieces of planes making up a Riemann surface.
14. Crystallography. a type of crystal structure, as in mica, in which certain atoms unite strongly in two dimensions to form a layer that is weakly joined to others.

verb (used with object)

1. to furnish with a sheet or sheets.
2. to wrap in a sheet.
3. to cover with a sheet or layer of something.

sheet

²

[ sheet ]

noun

1. Nautical.
   1. a rope or chain for extending the clews of a square sail along a yard.
   2. a rope for trimming a fore-and-aft sail.
   3. a rope or chain for extending the lee clew of a course.

verb (used with object)

1. Nautical. to trim, extend, or secure by means of a sheet or sheets.

sheet

¹

/ ʃiːt /

noun

1. nautical a line or rope for controlling the position of a sail relative to the wind

sheet

²

/ ʃiːt /

noun

1. a large rectangular piece of cotton, linen, etc, generally one of a pair used as inner bedclothes
2. 1. a thin piece of a substance such as paper, glass, or metal, usually rectangular in form
   2. ( as modifier )

      sheet iron

3. a broad continuous surface; expanse or stretch

   a sheet of rain

4. a newspaper, esp a tabloid
5. a piece of printed paper to be folded into a section for a book
6. a page of stamps, usually of one denomination and already perforated
7. any thin tabular mass of rock covering a large area

verb

1. tr to provide with, cover, or wrap in a sheet
2. intr (of rain, snow, etc) to fall heavily

Other Words From

• sheetless adjective
• sheetlike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sheet¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English shete, shet(te) “length of cloth, piece of linen,” Old English scīte, scēte, scȳte, scīete “garment, cloth, napkin”

Origin of sheet²

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English shete, seate, shortening of Old English scēatlīne “sheet of a sail,” equivalent to scēat(a) “corner, angle, lower corner of a sail” + līne “rope”; cognate with Low German schote; sheet ¹, line ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of sheet¹

Old English scēata corner of a sail; related to Middle Low German schōte rope attached to a sail; see sheet ¹

Origin of sheet²

Old English sciete; related to sceat corner, lap, Old Norse skaut, Old High German scōz lap

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. three sheets in / to the wind, Slang. intoxicated ( def 1 ).

More idioms and phrases containing sheet

see three sheets to the wind ; white as a sheet .

Example Sentences

The analysts said that most reinsurance companies would likely be able to rebuild their balance sheets through higher premiums next year.

From Fortune

That was supported by the discovery in 2010 of the original, mislogged observation sheet bearing five separate errors.

From Science News

Many of the geological features thought to have been carved out by flowing rivers and waterways replenished by frequent rainfall, the research suggests, may have actually resulted from massive glaciers and ice sheets that melted over time.

From MIT Technology Review

Our plan is backed by a master developer, Toll Brothers, with decades of experience and an impressive balance sheet that answers any viability questions our competition raises.

From Voice of San Diego

It’s like origami, but “instead of folding the flat sheet, you cut … along the specific pattern,” explains Sahab Babaee.

From Science News For Students

Divide batter into prepared ramekins, place ramekins on a baking sheet, and bake about 20 minutes.

From The Daily Beast

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, place on a sheet pan, brush with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

From The Daily Beast

With a 1¾-inch ice cream scoop (or two spoons), scoop round balls of dough onto the prepared sheet pans.

From The Daily Beast

Place the package, folded side up, on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.

From The Daily Beast

Place one sheet of phyllo on the board, brush it with butter, and sprinkle it with ¾ teaspoon of bread crumbs.

From The Daily Beast

If you use it wisely, it may be Ulysses' hauberk; if you reject it, the shirt of Nessus were a cooler winding-sheet!

From Project Gutenberg

The Professor took his pen and wrote a large X upon the sheet of paper in front of him.

From Project Gutenberg

Instead of a cloth, on each table was a sheet of fine glazed paper which had the appearance of oiled silk.

From Project Gutenberg

Demons—was the horrible word that flashed through his brain like a sheet of fire.

From Project Gutenberg

A very shallow sheet of water flowed down over a broad but nowise precipitous ledge of rock into the valley beneath.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• blanket
• coat
• foil
• layer
• leaf
• piece
• plate
• slab
• surface