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sheepmore about sheep

sheep

 

  4  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Sheep  \Sheep\,  n.  sing.  &  pl  [OE.  shep,  scheep,  AS  sc?p, 
  sce['a]p;  akin  to  OFries  sk?p,  LG  &  D.  schaap,  G.  schaf, 
  OHG.  sc[=a]f,  Skr.  ch[=a]ga.  [root]295.  Cf  {Sheepherd}.] 
  1.  (Zo["o]l.)  Any  one  of  several  species  of  ruminants  of  the 
  genus  {Ovis},  native  of  the  higher  mountains  of  both 
  hemispheres,  but  most  numerous  in  Asia. 
 
  Note:  The  domestic  sheep  ({Ovis  aries})  varies  much  in  size, 
  in  the  length  and  texture  of  its  wool,  the  form  and 
  size  of  its  horns,  the  length  of  its  tail,  etc  It  was 
  domesticated  in  prehistoric  ages,  and  many  distinct 
  breeds  have  been  produced;  as  the  merinos,  celebrated 
  for  their  fine  wool;  the  Cretan  sheep,  noted  for  their 
  long  horns;  the  fat-tailed,  or  Turkish,  sheep, 
  remarkable  for  the  size  and  fatness  of  the  tail,  which 
  often  has  to  be  supported  on  trucks;  the  Southdowns,  in 
  which  the  horns  are  lacking;  and  an  Asiatic  breed  which 
  always  has  four  horns. 
 
  2.  A  weak,  bashful,  silly  fellow.  --Ainsworth. 
 
  3.  pl  Fig.:  The  people  of  God,  as  being  under  the  government 
  and  protection  of  Christ,  the  great  Shepherd. 
 
  {Rocky  mountain  sheep}.(Zo["o]l.)  See  {Bighorn}. 
 
  {Maned  sheep}.  (Zo["o]l.)  See  {Aoudad}. 
 
  {Sheep  bot}  (Zo["o]l.),  the  larva  of  the  sheep  botfly.  See 
  {Estrus}. 
 
  {Sheep  dog}  (Zo["o]l.),  a  shepherd  dog,  or  collie. 
 
  {Sheep  laurel}  (Bot.),  a  small  North  American  shrub  ({Kalmia 
  angustifolia})  with  deep  rose-colored  flowers  in  corymbs. 
 
 
  {Sheep  pest}  (Bot.),  an  Australian  plant  ({Ac[ae]na  ovina}) 
  related  to  the  burnet.  The  fruit  is  covered  with  barbed 
  spines,  by  which  it  adheres  to  the  wool  of  sheep. 
 
  {Sheep  run},  an  extensive  tract  of  country  where  sheep  range 
  and  graze. 
 
  {Sheep's  beard}  (Bot.),  a  cichoraceous  herb  ({Urospermum 
  Dalechampii})  of  Southern  Europe;  --  so  called  from  the 
  conspicuous  pappus  of  the  achenes. 
 
  {Sheep's  bit}  (Bot.),  a  European  herb  ({Jasione  montana}) 
  having  much  the  appearance  of  scabious. 
 
  {Sheep  pox}  (Med.),  a  contagious  disease  of  sheep, 
  characterixed  by  the  development  of  vesicles  or  pocks  upon 
  the  skin. 
 
  {Sheep  scabious}.  (Bot.)  Same  as  {Sheep's  bit}. 
 
  {Sheep  shears},  shears  in  which  the  blades  form  the  two  ends 
  of  a  steel  bow,  by  the  elasticity  of  which  they  open  as 
  often  as  pressed  together  by  the  hand  in  cutting;  --  so 
  called  because  used  to  cut  off  the  wool  of  sheep. 
 
  {Sheep  sorrel}.  (Bot.),  a  prerennial  herb  ({Rumex 
  Acetosella})  growing  naturally  on  poor,  dry,  gravelly 
  soil.  Its  leaves  have  a  pleasant  acid  taste  like  sorrel. 
 
 
  {Sheep's-wool}  (Zo["o]l.),  the  highest  grade  of  Florida 
  commercial  sponges  ({Spongia  equina},  variety 
  {gossypina}). 
 
  {Sheep  tick}  (Zo["o]l.),  a  wingless  parasitic  insect 
  ({Melophagus  ovinus})  belonging  to  the  Diptera.  It  fixes 
  its  proboscis  in  the  skin  of  the  sheep  and  sucks  the 
  blood,  leaving  a  swelling.  Called  also  {sheep  pest},  and 
  {sheep  louse}. 
 
  {Sheep  walk},  a  pasture  for  sheep;  a  sheep  run. 
 
  {Wild  sheep}.  (Zo["o]l.)  See  {Argali},  {Mouflon},  and 
  {O["o]rial}. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  sheep 
  n  1:  woolly  usually  horned  ruminant  mammal  related  to  the  goat 
  2:  a  timid  defenseless  simpleton  who  is  readily  preyed  upon 
  3:  a  docile  and  vulnerable  person  who  would  rather  follow  than 
  make  an  independent  decision;  "his  students  followed  him 
  like  sheep" 
 
  From  The  Free  On-line  Dictionary  of  Computing  (13  Mar  01)  [foldoc]: 
 
  SHEEP 
 
    A  package  for  {symbolic  mathematics}, 
  especially  {tensor  analysis}  and  General  Relativity,  developed 
  by  Inge  Frick  in  Stockholm  in  the  late  1970s  to  early  1980s. 
  SHEEP  was  implemented  in  {DEC-10}  {assembly  language},  then  in 
  several  {LISPs}.  The  current  version  runs  on  {Sun}-3  and  is 
  based  on  {Portable  Standard  LISP}. 
 
  ["Sheep,  a  Computer  Algebra  System  for  General  Relativity", 
  J.E.F.  Skea  et  al  in  Proc  First  Brazilian  School  on  Comp  Alg, 
  W.  Roque  et  al  eds,  Oxford  U  Press  1993,  v2]. 
 
  {(ftp://galois.maths.gmw.ac.uk/homeftp/pub/sheep)} 
 
  (1998-05-06) 
 
 
 
  From  Easton's  1897  Bible  Dictionary  [easton]: 
 
  Sheep 
  are  of  different  varieties.  Probably  the  flocks  of  Abraham  and 
  Isaac  were  of  the  wild  species  found  still  in  the  mountain 
  regions  of  Persia  and  Kurdistan  After  the  Exodus,  and  as  a 
  result  of  intercourse  with  surrounding  nations,  other  species 
  were  no  doubt  introduced  into  the  herds  of  the  people  of  Israel. 
  They  are  frequently  mentioned  in  Scripture.  The  care  of  a 
  shepherd  over  his  flock  is  referred  to  as  illustrating  God's 
  care  over  his  people  (Ps.  23:1,  2;  74:1;  77:20;  Isa.  40:11; 
  53:6;  John  10:1-5,  7-16). 
 
  "The  sheep  of  Palestine  are  longer  in  the  head  than  ours  and 
  have  tails  from  5  inches  broad  at  the  narrowest  part  to  15 
  inches  at  the  widest,  the  weight  being  in  proportion,  and 
  ranging  generally  from  10  to  14  lbs.,  but  sometimes  extending  to 
  30  lbs.  The  tails  are  indeed  huge  masses  of  fat"  (Geikie's  Holy 
  Land,  etc.).  The  tail  was  no  doubt  the  rump"  so  frequently 
  referred  to  in  the  Levitical  sacrifices  (Ex.  29:22;  Lev.  3:9; 
  7:3;  9:19).  Sheep-shearing  was  generally  an  occasion  of  great 
  festivity  (Gen.  31:19;  38:12,  13;  1  Sam.  25:4-8,  36;  2  Sam. 
  13:23-28).




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