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

A graduate of music videos, Saxon — like the Gondrys and Jonzes before him — excels at sheathing his yarn in idiosyncratic humor, atmosphere and technique.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2025

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

One of Epstein-Barr’s proteins resembles a protein made in the brain and spinal cord, which apparently tricks the immune system into attacking the sheathing around nerve cells that’s essential for conducting electrical signals.

From Science Magazine • Dec. 14, 2022

Pet heaved a sigh and pulled itself together, sheathing the threat it had been sending out.

From "Pet" by Akwaeke Emezi

Related Words

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