sheep

sheep
\ \ [OE] Sheep is a West Germanic word, with relatives in German schaf and Dutch schaap. It is not known where it came from, although it has been speculated that it may be related to German schaffenmake, create’ (and hence to English shape), and that its underlying meaning is hence ‘creature’. The derivative sheepish [12] originally meant simply ‘sheeplike’. It had a variety of metaphorical applications in Middle English, including ‘silly’ and ‘fearful’, but the modern ‘shy’ did not emerge until the late 17th century. Shepherd is of course based on sheep.

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • 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},… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • sheep — W3S2 [ʃi:p] n plural sheep [: Old English; Origin: sceap] 1.) a farm animal that is kept for its wool and its meat ▪ Sheep were grazing on the hillside. ▪ a sheep farmer flock of sheep (=a group of sheep) →↑lamb1 …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • sheep — sheep·berry; sheep; sheep·cote; sheep·faced; sheep·ish; sheep·less; sheep·man; sheep·cot; sheep·faced·ly; sheep·faced·ness; sheep·ish·ly; sheep·ish·ness; …   English syllables

  • sheep — [ ʃip ] (plural sheep) noun count ** 1. ) an animal kept by farmers for its wool or meat. The male sheep is called a ram and the female is a ewe. A young sheep is called a lamb. Meat from a young sheep is called lamb and from an older sheep is… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • sheep — [shēp] n. pl. sheep [ME schep < OE sceap, scæp, akin to Ger schaf: known only in WGmc] 1. any of a wide variety of bovid ruminants, with horns in both sexes; esp., the domesticated sheep (Ovis aries), having heavy wool, edible flesh called… …   English World dictionary

  • Sheep — Chanson par Pink Floyd extrait de l’album Animals Pays  Royaume Uni Sortie …   Wikipédia en Français

  • sheep — (n.) O.E. sceap, scep, from W.Gmc. *skæpan (Cf. O.S. scap, O.Fris. skep, M.L.G. schap, M.Du. scaep, Du. schaap, O.H.G. scaf, Ger. Schaf), of unknown origin. Not found in Scandinavian or Gothic, and with no known cognates outside Germanic. The… …   Etymology dictionary

  • sheep|y — «SHEE pee», adjective, sheep|i|er, sheep|i|est. characteristic of or resembling sheep; sheeplike; sheepish: »He called the social English the most sheepy of sheep (Geo …   Useful english dictionary

  • sheep — ► NOUN (pl. same) 1) a domesticated ruminant mammal with a thick woolly coat, kept in flocks for its wool or meat. 2) a person who is too easily influenced or led. 3) a member of a minister s congregation. ● make sheep s eyes at Cf. ↑make sheep s …   English terms dictionary

  • Sheep —    SHEEP, an isle, in the parish of Southend, county of Argyll. This is a small island, lying southward of the peninsula of Cantyre, and close to the island of Sanda. It is well calculated for the pasturage of a small number of sheep, from which… …   A Topographical dictionary of Scotland

  • SHEEP —    Sheep and goats, which had been reared since the Neolithic in central Italy, continued to form an important component of the agricultural system together with cattle and pigs …   Historical Dictionary of the Etruscans

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