shepherd

¹ American  

[shep-erd] / ˈʃɛp ərd /

noun

1. a person who herds, tends, and guards sheep.

2. a person who protects, guides, or watches over a person or group of people.

   Synonyms:

   keeper, defender, guardian, protector

3. a member of the clergy.

4. the Shepherd, Jesus Christ.

5. sheepdog.

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verb (used with object)

1. to tend or guard as a shepherd.

   to shepherd the flock.

2. to watch over carefully.

Shepherd ² American  

[shep-erd] / ˈʃɛp ərd /

noun

1. a male given name.

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shepherd ¹ British  

/ ˈʃɛpəd /

noun

1. Female equivalent: shepherdess.  a person employed to tend sheep

2. a person, such as a clergyman, who watches over or guides a group of people

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verb

1. to guide or watch over in the manner of a shepherd

2. Australian rules football to prevent opponents from tackling (a member of one's own team) by blocking their path

Shepherd ² British  

noun

1. astronomy a small moon of (e.g.) Saturn orbiting close to the rings and partly responsible for ring stability

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Other Word Forms

• shepherdless adjective
• shepherdlike adjective
• undershepherd noun
• unshepherded adjective
• unshepherding adjective

Etymology

Origin of shepherd

before 1050; Middle English shepherde, Old English scēphyrde. See sheep, herd ²

Example Sentences

The most remarkable of the test cases seen in this very entertaining program are Australian shepherds and border collies, which are known for their intelligence.

From The Wall Street Journal

“We are confronting death on a scale that we haven’t seen before because of the size of the baby-boom generation,” said Sen. Jamie Pedersen, majority leader of the Washington state senate, who shepherded the legislation.

From The Wall Street Journal

The mayor had a German shepherd named Fly when he was a child in Uganda.

From The Wall Street Journal

Lord Falconer, who along with Leadbeater is shepherding the bill through Parliament, has said the legislation has "absolutely no hope" of becoming law without a "fundamental change" in the House of Lords' approach.

From BBC

Farmers and shepherds gather the sheep and goats to bring them to the barns, where they will be safe for the night.

From Literature

Related Words

• herder
• herdsman