sheathen.
nonstandard spelling of scythe n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > tools and implements > harvesting equipment > [noun] > reaping tools > scythe
scythec725
lea1483
sheathea1660
peck1784
scythe-hook1844
shear1887
a1660 in J. T. Gilbert Contemp. Hist. Ireland (1880) III. 125 A numerous heape of sheathes and other instruments to cutt and mowe corne.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1914; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
sheathev.
/ʃiːð/, U.S. /ʃið/ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military equipment > production and development of arms > produce or develop arms [verb (transitive)] > fit with sheath
sheathe?a1400
?a1400 Morte Arth. 3853 He schokkes owtte a schorte knyfe schethede with silvere.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Taming of Shrew (1623) iv. i. 121 Walters dagger was not come from sheathing . View more context for this quotation
2. † b. with up. Also transferred. Obsolete.
a. To put (a sword, dagger, etc.) into a sheath or scabbard. to sheathe the sword (fig.): to cease hostilities, to put an end to war or enmity.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > peace > be at peace [verb (intransitive)] > cease hostilities
to sheathe the swordc1430
to bury the hatchet1535
truce1569
society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > cut of sharp weapon > cut or thrust with sword > strike with sword [verb (transitive)] > sheathe (sword)
to put upa1425
sheathec1430
scabbard1579
sheathe1607
society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > cut of sharp weapon > use of knives > stab with knife [verb (transitive)] > sheathe
sheathe1530
sheathe1607
c1430 Pilgr. Lyf Manhode (1869) i. xxxii. 20 J bithouht me what j shulde do..with þilke swerd yshethed, seled, wrapped.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 702/1 I shethe a knyfe or a sworde, I put them in to their shethe... Shethe your sworde, you be man good ynoughe.
a1592 R. Greene Hist. Orlando Furioso (1594) sig. G4 Mars come thundering downe, And neuer sheath thy swift reuenging swoorde.
1641 J. Jackson True Evangelical Temper iii. 213 Still allowing to Kings and their Senates, and Counsailes, right of drawing or sheathing the sword.
a1660 Aphorismical Discov. in J. T. Gilbert Contemp. Hist. Ireland (1879) I. 273 The Confederate Catholicks of Ireland were iointly and seuerally sworne,..neuer to sheate theire sworde untill they see the lustre of religion florish in Ireland.
1737 A. Pope Epist. of Horace ii. i. 9 In Days of Ease, when now the weary Sword Was sheath'd, and Luxury with Charles restor'd.
1749 T. Smollett tr. A. R. Le Sage Gil Blas III. vii. i. 7 Enough, (said I to him, sheathing my sword) I am not a brute, to refuse to hear reason.
1812 Ld. Byron Tambourgi iv, in Childe Harold: Cantos I & II ii. 98 Those scarfs of blood-red shall be redder, before The sabre is sheath'd and the battle is o'er.
1841 M. Elphinstone Hist. India II. ix. i. 263 He restrained himself sufficiently to sheath his sword.
1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. v. 575 The sword should not be sheathed till he had been brought to condign punishment as a traitor.
1891 W. Morris Poems by Way (1896) 210 And then the ancient blade he sheathed.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > cut of sharp weapon > cut or thrust with sword > strike with sword [verb (transitive)] > sheathe (sword)
to put upa1425
sheathec1430
scabbard1579
sheathe1607
society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > cut of sharp weapon > use of knives > stab with knife [verb (transitive)] > sheathe
sheathe1530
sheathe1607
1607 R. Turner Nosce Te sig. C3v Being soundly bangde he sheathde his dagger vp.
1615 S. Hieron Dignitie of Preaching 9 May I..like Salomons sluggard, sheathe vp my hands into my bosome and renounce husbandrie?
1640 tr. G. S. du Verdier Love & Armes Greeke Princes ii. x. 35 But perceiving no body to appear, he presently sheathed up his sword.
1744 J. Wesley in J. Wesley & C. Wesley Coll. Psalms & Hymns (new ed.) i. 42 I will not..beg Thee to sheath up thy Sword.
c. transferred. To bury (a sword) as in a sheath (e.g. in an enemy's body). Also with object an animal's tusk, claw, etc.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military equipment > operation and use of weapons > cut of sharp weapon > cut or thrust with sword > strike with sword [verb (transitive)] > thrust (a sword)
pickc1487
stoke1513
sheathe1585
shrine1614
rit1808
1585 A. Munday tr. L. Pasqualigo Fedele & Fortunio sig. F2v Attilia tolde me, that her mistresse had made a request, To Crack-stone, to sheathe his sworde in your brest.
1593 W. Shakespeare Venus & Adonis sig. Ev A churlish swine..Whose tushes neuer sheathd, he whetteth still. View more context for this quotation
1594 W. Shakespeare Venus & Adonis (new ed.) sig. Giiij The..swine, Sheath'd..his tuske in his soft groine.
1595 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 3 v. v. 69 Dispatch Me heere, heere sheath thy sword, Ile pardon thee my death.
1614 A. Gorges tr. Lucan Pharsalia i. 37 Within his [a bull's] throat they sheath'd the knife.
1667 J. Dryden Indian Emperour iv. iv. 48 'Tis in my Breast she sheaths her Dagger now.
1749 H. Fielding Tom Jones VI. xvi. x. 82 He beat down his Guard, and sheathed one half of his Sword in the Body of the said Gentleman. View more context for this quotation
1858 G. MacDonald Phantastes xxi. 270 The hand of his foe..still grasped the hilt of the dagger sheathed in the wound.
d. figurative. To lay aside, cause to be laid aside (hostility, malice). Now rare or Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > peace > [verb (transitive)] > cease (hostilities)
sheathe1602
the mind > emotion > calmness > patience > endure patiently [verb (transitive)] > make patient > lay aside impatience
sheathe1602
1602 W. Shakespeare Merry Wives of Windsor ii. iii. 76 Sheth your impatience, Throw cold water on your collor.
1752 E. Young Brothers i. i Sheath your resentments in your father's peace.
1773 J. Allen Assoc. against Established Church Indefensible 16 This ought to sheath plebeian malignity.
e. To retract or draw in (the claws).
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > animal body > general parts > body and limbs > [verb (transitive)] > retract (claws)
sheathe1681
1681 N. Grew Musæum Regalis Societatis i. 12 The Leopard..always keeps the Claws of his fore-feet turned up from the ground, and sheath'd as it were in the Skin of his Toes.
1687 J. Dryden Hind & Panther iii. 88 He sheathes his paws, uncurls his angry mane.
1801 R. Southey Thalaba II. ix. 153 With tranquil eyes and talons sheathed, The ounce expects his liberty.
1813 P. B. Shelley Queen Mab viii. 105 His [sc. the lion's] claws are sheathed.
3. figurative and in extended use.1814 S. T. Coleridge Coll. Lett. (1959) III. 515 Every analogy tends to establish the Belief, that the Body & the Senses are the means of sheathing & shielding the Soul.1860 R. W. Emerson Fate in Conduct of Life (London ed.) 8 People seem sheathed in their tough organization.1885 Truth 28 May 850/1 Plumpness sheathes the nerves and gives an impression of good humour.† c. to sheathe up: to envelop so as to confine or obstruct. Obsolete. rare.
a. To cover or encase (esp. a person or part of the body) in (something, usually protective).
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being external > covering > wrapping > wrap [verb (transitive)] > encase or sheathe
casea1525
to case up1566
ensheath1593
encase1633
shell1637
sheathea1640
invaginate1656
jacket1861
a1640 P. Massinger City-Madam (1658) iv. ii. 28 Thy procurer Shall be sheath'd in Velvet.
a1691 R. Boyle Gen. Hist. Air (1692) 140 The [petrifying] spring..sheaths everything with stony cases.
1735 W. Somervile Chace ii. 453 In meet Array, Sheath'd in refulgent Arms, a noble Band Advance.
1816 Ld. Byron Siege of Corinth xxiii. 38 Many a bosom, sheathed in brass, Strew'd the earth like broken glass.
1829 W. Scott Anne of Geierstein I. i. 6 Warriors sheathed in complete steel.
1876 ‘G. Eliot’ Daniel Deronda IV. vii. lvi. 137 She started impulsively to her full height, sheathed in her white shawl.
b. To cover from view. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > hiding, concealing from view > hide, conceal [verb (transitive)]
heeleOE
forhelec888
i-hedec888
dernc893
hidec897
wryOE
behelec1000
behidec1000
bewryc1000
forhidec1000
overheleOE
hilla1250
fealc1325
cover1340
forcover1382
blinda1400
hulsterc1400
overclosec1400
concealc1425
shroud1426
blend1430
close1430
shadow1436
obumber?1440
mufflea1450
alaynec1450
mew?c1450
purloin1461
to keep close?1471
oversilec1478
bewrap1481
supprime1490
occulta1500
silec1500
smoor1513
shadec1530
skleir1532
oppressa1538
hudder-mudder1544
pretex1548
lap?c1550
absconce1570
to steek away1575
couch1577
recondite1578
huddle1581
mew1581
enshrine1582
enshroud1582
mask1582
veil1582
abscondc1586
smotherc1592
blot1593
sheathe1594
immask1595
secret1595
bemist1598
palliate1598
hoodwinka1600
overmaska1600
hugger1600
obscure1600
upwrap1600
undisclose1601
disguise1605
screen1611
underfold1612
huke1613
eclipsea1616
encavea1616
ensconcea1616
obscurify1622
cloud1623
inmewa1625
beclouda1631
pretext1634
covert1647
sconce1652
tapisa1660
shun1661
sneak1701
overlay1719
secrete1741
blank1764
submerge1796
slur1813
wrap1817
buttress1820
stifle1820
disidentify1845
to stick away1900
1594 W. Shakespeare Lucrece sig. D2v Her eyes like Marigolds had sheath'd their light. View more context for this quotation
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > relative position > condition of being external > enclosing or enclosure > enclosing or confining > enclose or confine [verb (transitive)]
pena1200
bebar?c1225
loukc1275
beshuta1300
parc1300
to shut in1398
to close inc1400
parrockc1400
pinc1400
steekc1400
lock?a1425
includec1425
key?a1439
spare?c1450
enferme1481
terminea1500
bebay1511
imprisona1533
besetc1534
hema1552
ram1567
warda1586
closet1589
pound1589
seclude1598
confine1600
i-pend1600
uptie1600
pinfold1605
boundify1606
incoop1608
to round in1609
ring1613
to buckle ina1616
embounda1616
swathe1624
hain1636
coopa1660
to sheathe up1661
stivea1722
cloister1723
span1844
the world > space > relative position > condition of being external > covering > wrapping > wrap [verb (transitive)] > enfold or envelop > so as to confine or obstruct
to sheathe up1661
1661 R. Boyle Physico-chym. Ess. Salt-petre in Certain Physiol. Ess. 123 Those active parts of a body which are of differing Natures, when they are as it were Sheath'd up, or Wedg'd in amongst others in the texture of a Concrete.
1764 Museum Rusticum (1765) 3 xiii. 64 The rich fat wort sheathes up the pores of the hop, and, as it were, embalms the leaves.
4. † a. Medicine. To mitigate the acridity or pungency of (a drug) by the use of an emollient vehicle. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > medicines or physic > of medicine: act [verb (transitive)] > mitigate acridity or pungency of drug
sheathe1731
1731 J. Arbuthnot Ess. Nature Aliments v. 58 Other Substances..opposite to..Acrimony which are call'd demulcent or mild, because they blunt or sheath these sharp Salts..such as Pease, Beans [etc.].
1753 Chambers's Cycl. Suppl. at Wine It had a pleasing softness that sheathed the acrimony of the spirit, and covered the bitter taste of the hop.
1811 A. T. Thomson London Dispensatory iii. 544 Its acrimony requires to be sheathed with some bland powder, as starch.
b. gen. To mitigate the painfulness of.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > manner of action > lack of violence, severity, or intensity > make less violent or severe [verb (transitive)] > lessen severe effect of
rebate1579
infringe1604
unvenom1611
unsting1612
blunt1732
sheathe1820
buffer1894
1820 W. Hazlitt Lect. Dramatic Lit. 77 The barb of misfortune is sheathed in the mildness of the writer's temperament.
1851 E. B. Browning Casa Guidi Windows i. ii. 2 The innumerous Sweet songs which for this Italy outrang From older singers' lips, who sang..with pang Sheathed into music, touched the heart of us So finely that the pity scarcely pained!
5. (Often sheath.)
a. To cover (a ship, a door, roof, etc.) with a sheathing of metal.
ΘΚΠ
society > occupation and work > industry > working with specific materials > working with metal > work with metal [verb (transitive)] > coat or cover with metal
couch14..
platec1425
bush1566
gild1611
sheathe1615
water1637
tincture1670
laminate1697
wash1792
replate1796
rebush1864
electro1891
metallize1911
the world > space > relative position > condition of being external > covering > wrapping > wrap [verb (transitive)] > encase or sheathe > with metal
sheathe1615
1615 R. Cocks Diary (1883) I. 62 We..brought her agrownd before the English howse to sheath her [the ship].
1627 J. Smith Sea Gram. ii. 13 Barnacles..will eat thorow all the Plankes if she be not sheathed, which is as casing the Hull vnder water with Tar, and Haire, close couered ouer with thin boords fast nailed to the Hull.
a1642 W. Monson Naval Tracts (1704) iii. 346/2 They Sheath Ships with Lead.
1691 T. Hale Acct. New Inventions p. xxviii There was no occasion for a good while to sheath any of the Kings Ships.
1763 Brit. Mag. 4 332 His majesty's frigate the Alarm..was sheathed with copper, by way of trial.
1849 D. Rock Church our Fathers I. iii. 233 At the more solemn festivals, the high Altar in the richer churches, was sheathed in a gold or silver frontal, studded with precious stones.
1883 P. H. Hunter Story Daniel ix. 161 The exterior of the dome is sheathed with burnished copper.
1885 W. C. Russell Strange Voy. I. ii. 21 The ship..had been newly sheathed, and the yellow metal..gleamed dully, like old gold.
1909 Blackwood's Mag. Sept. 346/2 The doors [of the temple] are sheathed in silver.
b. To cover (a tree-trunk) with a ‘sheathing’.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > farming > forestry or arboriculture > [verb (transitive)] > sheathe trunk
sheathe1842
1842 J. C. Loudon Suburban Horticulturist 431 Sheathing the stems of standard trees..should not be neglected.
c. To cover a telegraph cable with a protective envelope.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > telecommunication > telegraphy or telephony > [verb (transitive)] > sheathe or shackle off cable
shackle1853
sheathe1884
1884 Pall Mall Gaz. 17 Apr. 11/2 These wire-sheathing machines..will sheath fifty miles of cables in a day.
d. To place (a photographic plate) in a sheath.
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > the arts > visual arts > photography > action of taking photograph > photograph [verb (transitive)] > sheathe plate
sheathe1892
1892 Photogr. Ann. II. 263 With regard to sheaths for the plates—these may be used,..but in the course of several years..no plate has ever been sheathed.
6. Natural History. To surround with a ‘sheath’ or covering.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > biology > physical aspects or shapes > specific areas or structures > [verb (transitive)] > outer covering
sheathe1664
1664 H. Power Exper. Philos. i. 36 Those black filaments..which are sheathed in her [the snail's] horns.
1796 W. Withering Arrangem. Brit. Plants (ed. 3) II. 215 Leaves rather longer than the joints of the stem, not at all sheathing it.
1830 J. Lindley Introd. Nat. Syst. Bot. 154 Leaves alternate, slightly sheathing at the base.
1870 J. D. Hooker Student's Flora Brit. Islands 109 Stem..sheathed below by obtuse leafless stipules.
1872 T. H. Huxley Lessons Elem. Physiol. (ed. 6) i. 10 A mass of red flesh, sheathed in connective tissue.
1882–4 M. C. Cooke Brit. Fresh-water Algæ I. 195 A hyaline bristle, which is sheathed at its base.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1914; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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n.a1660
v.?a1400