sheath en · NOUN · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- (General-American) audio
- /ʃiːθ/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ʃiθ/ (General-American)
- shēth (Received-Pronunciation)
Etymology
From Middle English sheth, shethe (“holder for a sword, knife, etc., scabbard, sheath”) [and other forms], from Old English sċēaþ (“sheath”), from Proto-West Germanic *skaiþiju, from Proto-Germanic *skaiþiz (“sheath; covering”), from Proto-Indo-European *skey- (“to dissect, split”) (possibly from the notion of a split stick with a sword inserted). The English word is cognate with Danish skede, Dutch schede, Icelandic skeið, German Scheide, Low German scheed, Norwegian skjede.
Meanings
- A holster for a sword; a scabbard.
- (broadly) Anything that has a similar shape to a scabbard that is used to hold an object that is longer than it is wide.
- The base of a leaf when sheathing or investing a branch or stem, as in grasses.
- The insulating outer cover of an electrical cable.
- One of the elytra of an insect.
- A tight-fitting dress.
- The foreskin of certain animals (for example, dogs and horses).
- (UK, informal) A condom.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| sheaths | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
leaf sheath · root sheath · exsheath · myelin sheath · penis sheath · sheath dress · exsheathment · rhizosheath · medullary sheath · sheathotomy · magnetosheath · sheathless · penile sheath · sheath-tailed mouse · sheathlike · sheath-tailed bat · sheath cake · sheathbill · rice sheath mite · femoral sheath · sheath-tail bat · sheath knife · astrosheath · sheathfish · desheath · sheather · Schwann's sheath · sub · presheath · sheathy
Relateds
unsheathe · heliosheath · resheath · sheathe · resheathe · unsheath
Synonyms
covering · cum catcher · rubber · envelope · condom · cover · casing · case
Translations (56)
he נרתיק (long case) · yi שייד (long case) · sv fodral (long case) · lv maksts (long case) · sv fodralklänning (tight-fitting dress) · fr gaine (insulating outer cover of an electrical cable) · de Etuikleid (tight-fitting dress) · hu burkolat (insulating outer cover of an electrical cable) · fi tuppi (long case) · izh hoodra (long case) · pl puzdro (foreskin of certain animals) · sq mill (long case) · de Mantel (insulating outer cover of an electrical cable) · fi kotelomekko (tight-fitting dress) · de Futteral (long case) · de Hülle (long case) · fr étui (long case) · vi vỏ (long case) · de Ummantelung (insulating outer cover of an electrical cable) · hu borítás (insulating outer cover of an electrical cable) · es vaina externa (insulating outer cover of an electrical cable) · es cubierta exterior (insulating outer cover of an electrical cable) · fr gaine (long case) · hu tok (long case) · hu Bergmann cső (insulating outer cover of an electrical cable) · fi tuppi (foreskin of certain animals) · de Umhüllung (insulating outer cover of an electrical cable) · hu szigetelés (insulating outer cover of an electrical cable) · ru футля́р (long case) · nl huls (long case) · ko 피복 (insulating outer cover of an electrical cable) · de Hülle (insulating outer cover of an electrical cable) · it prepuzio (foreskin of certain animals) · hu védőcső (insulating outer cover of an electrical cable) · es envoltura (long case) · it guaina (long case) · pt revestimento (long case) · mk футро́ла (long case) · pt prepúcio (foreskin of certain animals) · eo ingo (long case) · sv hölje (insulating outer cover of an electrical cable) · la vāgīna (long case) · ca folre (tight-fitting dress) · pl pochwa (long case) · fi suojus (long case) · ca embolcall (long case) · fr robe fourreau (tight-fitting dress) · lv futrālis (long case) · grc κέλυφος (long case) · cmn 包皮 (foreskin of certain animals) · ca beina (foreskin of certain animals) · fr fourreau (tight-fitting dress) · sv fodral (tight-fitting dress) · es envoltura exterior (insulating outer cover of an electrical cable) · izh tuppi (long case) · es funda exterior (insulating outer cover of an electrical cable)