shepherd
[shep-erd]
- a person who herds, tends, and guards sheep.
- a person who protects, guides, or watches over a person or group of people.
- a member of the clergy.
- the Shepherd, Jesus Christ.
- sheepdog.
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- to tend or guard as a shepherd: to shepherd the flock.
- to watch over carefully.
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Origin of shepherd
Synonyms
See more synonyms for shepherd on Thesaurus.com2. protector, guardian, defender, keeper.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for shepherded
Contemporary Examples
While King has shepherded The Good Wife, Commander in Chief was championed by ABC executive Anne Sweeney.
The song in question is “All About That Bass,” an L.A. Reid shepherded anthem courtesy of 20-year-old parvenu Meghan Trainor.
‘All About That Bass’ Singer Meghan Trainor On Haters and Her Polarizing (and Unlikely) No. 1 HitMarlow Stern
October 7, 2014
Instead, something may have collided with Chariklo, knocking debris loose, which was then shepherded into rings.
Chariklo, a Minor Planet Nicknamed a “Centaur,” Discovered to Have RingsMatthew R. Francis
April 6, 2014
Our latest eye-popping federal budget, the scourge of deficit hawks everywhere, was shepherded through by Paul Ryan.
A consortium of European countries led by Germany pledged funds to be shepherded by the United Nations.
Historical Examples
And all the while Beasley, with consummate skill, shepherded them to his own ends.
The Golden WomanRidgwell Cullum
He shepherded me into my bedroom, shut the door on me, and tiptoed away.
The Right StuffIan Hay
Dahlia shepherded us to a quiet corner of the lounge and we all sat down.
Once a WeekAlan Alexander Milne
It was there that the flock was accustomed to graze, shepherded by the wise dog, Jock.
The Black BuccaneerStephen W. Meader
They were not shepherded and trained together, they came together.
First and Last ThingsH. G. Wells
Shepherd
- astronomy a small moon of (e.g.) Saturn orbiting close to the rings and partly responsible for ring stability
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shepherd
- a person employed to tend sheepFemale equivalent: shepherdess Related adjectives: bucolic, pastoral
- a person, such as a clergyman, who watches over or guides a group of people
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- to guide or watch over in the manner of a shepherd
- Australian rules football to prevent opponents from tackling (a member of one's own team) by blocking their path
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Word Origin
from Old English sceaphirde. See sheep, herd ²
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for shepherded
shepherd
n.
Old English sceaphierde, from sceap "sheep" (see sheep) + hierde "herder," from heord "a herd" (see herd (n.)). Cf. Middle Low German, Middle Dutch schaphirde, Middle High German schafhirte, German dialectal Schafhirt. Shepherds customarily were buried with a tuft of wool in hand, to prove on Doomsday their occupation and be excused for often missing Sunday church. Shepherd's pie is recorded from 1877.
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shepherd
v.
1790, "to herd sheep," from shepherd (n.). The metaphoric sense of "watch over or guide" is first recorded 1820. Related: Shepherded; shepherding.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper