Sheath

How to spell sheath

6 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce sheath

What does sheath mean?

1. nounA close-fitting cover or case, especially one for the blade of a knife or sword.

Sheath in a sentence

• He slid the hunting knife back into its leather sheath.

• The electrician checked that the outer sheath of the cable was undamaged.

Where does sheath come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

Sheath comes from the Old English word sceath, sometimes written scaeth, which meant a close-fitting cover for a blade. It belongs to a wide Germanic family: Dutch schede, German Scheide, and Old Norse skeithir all describe the same idea of a protective casing. The deeper root is thought to mean 'to split' or 'to divide', the notion being a piece of wood split open to receive and hold a knife or sword. The word has stayed in continuous English use for well over a thousand years, broadening from the original weapon cover to any tight-fitting case, including biological linings and electrical insulation. The spelling keeps the old 'ea' vowel and the final 'th', and it is worth noting that the noun is sheath while the matching verb gains a final e, becoming sheathe.

How the word is built

• sheath (single root from Old English sceath, a cover; no prefix or suffix)