sheath

Pronunciation: /ʃiθ/

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C1 — Advanced

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun a protective covering (as for a knife or sword)
  2. noun an enveloping structure or covering enclosing an animal or plant organ or part
  3. noun a dress suitable for formal occasions

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.

In classic literature

Semantic network

Broader (hypernyms)
protective covering
Narrower (hyponyms)
holster, scabbard, fingerstall, aglet

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