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sheath |
2 definitions found From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Sheath \Sheath\, n. [OE. schethe AS sc[=ae][eth], sce['a][eth], sc[=e][eth]; akin to OS sk[=e][eth]ia, D. scheede G. scheide OHG. sceida Sw skida, Dan. skede, Icel. skei[eth]ir, pl., and to E. shed, v.t., originally meaning, to separate, to part See {Shed}.] 1. A case for the reception of a sword, hunting knife, or other long and slender instrument; a scabbard. The dead knight's sword out of his sheath he drew. --Spenser. 2. Any sheathlike covering, organ, or part Specifically: a (Bot.) The base of a leaf when sheathing or investing a stem or branch, as in grasses. b (Zo["o]l.) One of the elytra of an insect. {Medullary sheath}. (Anat.) See under {Medullary}. {Primitive sheath}. (Anat.) See {Neurilemma}. {Sheath knife}, a knife with a fixed blade, carried in a sheath. {Sheath of Schwann}. (Anat.) See {Schwann's sheath}. From WordNet r 1.6 [wn]: sheath n 1: a protective case for a knife or sword 2: an enveloping structure or covering enclosing an animal or plant organ or part [syn: {case}] 3: suitable for formal occasions [syn: {cocktail dress}]
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