Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Sheath |
SheathNoun1. A protective covering for a knife or sword. 2. An enveloping structure or covering enclosing an animal or plant organ or part. 3. A dress suitable for formal occasions. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "sheath" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1010. (references) |
| Domain | Definition |
Aerospace | = plasma sheath. (references) |
Computing | The outer covering of a cable. Its main function is to provide protection for the insulated conductors which make up the cable. Source: European Union. (references) |
Electrical Engineering | A uniform and continuous tubular covering of metallic or non metallic material, generally extruded ; all the components of a metallic or optical cable which are placed outside the core to protect it against corrosion or mechanical damage, and to provide a shield against possible electromagnetic interference. Source: European Union. (references) |
| The covering on a cable. Source: European Union. (references) | |
Mining | A. To enclose or encase with a covering b. A chemical compound or mixture incorporated in a sheathed explosive unit that forms a flame-inhibiting cloud on detonation of the explosiv. (references) |
Nuclear Energy & Physics | The external layer of material applied directly to a nuclear fuel or other material, to provide protection from a chemically reactive environment, to provide containment of radioactive products produced during the irradiation of the composite or to provide structural support. Source: European Union. (references) |
Physics | See Debye Sheath or Plasma Sheath. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
The word sheath has a number of related meanings in English. In general usage, a sheath is any protective covering that fits closely around the object to be protected. A sword's sheath is called a scabbard.
There may be more than one sheath surrounding a given cable. For example, some cable designs use an inner sheath surrounded by metallic armor, over which is an outer sheath.
- A sheath (synonym: jacket) is the outer covering or coverings of a communications or power cable. It is made of tough material, often plastic, that is resistant to environmental hazards such as abrasion, liquid intrusion, solar radiation, etc., and is used to protect cable components such as optical fibers or metallic conductors that transport the signal or power.
(Source: Federal Standard 1037C)
- Sheath leaves are a type of leaf characteristic of some monocotyledonous plants, especially grasses. Sheath leaves are typically long, narrow, and triangular in shape. The leaf veins are parallel. The main characteristic is a basal part (the sheath) that clasps the stem or culm for some distance above the leaf origin (node). An example of a plant with sheath leaves is maize.
- A sheath is another word for condom.
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Sheath."
Synonyms: SheathSynonyms: case (n), cocktail dress (n). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Clothing | Verb: invest; cover; envelope, lap, involve; inwrap, enwrap; wrap; fold up, wrap up, lap up, muffle up; overlap; sheath, swathe, swaddle, roll up in, circumvest. |
Covering | Capsule; sheath, sheathing; pod, cod; casing, case, theca; elytron; elytrum; involucrum; wrapping, wrapper; envelope, vesicle; corn husk, corn shuck; dermatology, conchology; testaceology. |
Receptacle | Pocket, pouch, fob, sheath, scabbard, socket, bag, sac, sack, saccule, wallet, cardcase, scrip, poke, knit, knapsack, haversack, sachel, satchel, reticule, budget, net; ditty bag, ditty box; housewife, hussif; saddlebags; portfolio; quiver; (magazine). |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | Great, so some guy couldn't keep it in his sheath and now I'm marked for death (Charmed; writing credit: Colman deKay) | |
Tongue Twisters | Sheath thy sword, the surly sheriff said, "or surely shall a churlish serf soon shatter thee. (references; author: unknown) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title |
References | |
Books | |
Consumer Goods | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit |  | Medicine - Military - Equipment : Hospital knife encased in sheath. Credit: National Library of Medicine. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
| Author | Quotation |
George Herbert | One sword keeps another in the sheath. |
Lord Byron | For the sword outwears its sheath, and the soul wears out the breast. And the heart must pause to breathe, and love itself have rest. |
Susan Coolidge | Slow buds the pink dawn like a rose From out night's gray and cloudy sheath; Softly and still it grows and grows, Petal by petal, leaf by leaf. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| Title | Author | Quote |
Les Miserables | Hugo, Victor | Javert put on his hat again, and stepped into the room, his arms folded, his cane under his arm, his sword in its sheath. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Health | The inner-surface membrane of the chambers is a sheath of elastic fibers. (references) | |
The myelin sheath is an extremely complex fatty substance made of many components. (references) | ||
These tumors arise from the cells that form a protective sheath around the body's nerve fibers. (references) | ||
Business | Handsets which have a short antenna and a shielded antenna sheath will be more preferable. (references) | |
Lexicography | Devil's Dictionary | QUIVER, n. A portable sheath in which the ancient statesman and the aboriginal lawyer carried their lighter arguments. He extracted from his quiver, Did the controversial Roman, An argument well fitted To the question as submitted, Then addressed it to the liver, Of the unpersuaded foeman. Oglum P. Boomp |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| "Sheath" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 100.00% of the time. "Sheath" is used about 165 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (singular) | 100% | 165 | 24,305 |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
Expressions using "sheath": cable sheath ♦ carotid sheath ♦ contraceptive sheath ♦ Knitting sheath ♦ medullary sheath ♦ mud sheath ♦ Myelin Sheath ♦ Nerve Sheath Tumors ♦ primitive sheath ♦ Schwann's sheath ♦ sheath dress ♦ sheath knife ♦ sheath of Schwann ♦ sheath pile ♦ synovial sheath ♦ tendon sheath ♦ Tentacle sheath ♦ wing sheath. Additional references. | |
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "sheath": sheath-dress, sheath-like, Sheath-winged. | |
Ending with "sheath": mini-sheath. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Language | Translations for "sheath"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Albanian | veshje (apparel, array, article of clothing, ascription, attire, attribution, clothes, clothing, cloudiness, dress, dressing, fig, furnishings, garb, garment, garments, gear, guise, habiliments, habit, incrustation, outfit, overlay, papering, raggery, raiment, strip, suit, tog, toggery, togs, vesture, wear), mill, këllëf (case, dustsheet, encasement, fiddle-case, jacket, rubber, scabbard, slip, slipcover, slipover, thimble, tip). (various references) | |
Arabic | قراب, غمد (sheathe, vagina), غلاف (binder, casing, coating, covering, envelope, integument, investment, tegument, wrap, wrapper, wrapping), جيب المسدس, ثوب نسوي ضيق. (various references) | |
Bulgarian | тясна рокля без колан, кожух (case, housing, jacket, mantle, shell, sleeve), кобур (holster), кания, калъф (casing, cover, covering, dust cover, encasement, slip, slip-cover), капсула (cachet, cap, capsule, percussion cap, primer, theca), обвивка (aril, casing, coat, covering, encasement, envelope, envelopment, husk, jacket, mantle, sheeting, shell, tegument, tunic, wrap, wrappage, wrapping), ножница (scabbard), презерватив (condom, rubber). (various references) | |
Chinese | 鞘 (cadmium, scabbard). (various references) | |
Czech | prezervativ (condom, Durex), pouzdro (box, capsule, case, housing), pochva (case, scabbard, vagina), opatřit pouzdrem, kondom (condom, Durex). (various references) | |
Danish | skede (thimble), skal (should), mantel (mantle), lag (bed, coat, course, lag, layer, level, ply, round, seam, sheet, slab, stratum, streak, tier, veneer, veneer sheet), kapsling (can, canning, clad, cladding, enclosure, jacket), kappe (cable hose, cable sheath, cap, cape, cladding, companion, fairing, fiber cladding, fiber optics cladding, fibre cladding, fibre optics cladding, guard, heading, jacket, mantle, moil, nose cone, optical fiber cladding, optical fibre cladding, pollarding, sheathing, shell, shielding, shroud, skirt, topping), indkapsling (assembly, can, canning, case, clad, cladding, encapsulation, enclosure, enclosures, information hiding, in-ground encapsulation, jacket, packaging, sealing), hylster (cartridge, case, coating, core, enclosure, envelope, jacket, magnetic tape cartridge, pack, paper core, sheathing, theca, thimble, tube), foringsrør, etui, bevikling (coating, jacket, wrapping). (various references) | |
Dutch | schede (holder, scabbard, socket, vagina), ommanteling (coverings, duct, shroud), omhulsel (capsule, casing, crank chamber, crankcase, enclosure, envelope, envelopes, gear case, safety guard, straw envelopes(for bottles), sump), mantel van de caisson (sheathing, shell, skirt), mantel (cloak, mantle, surface), laag (abject, base, deep, layer, low, nasty, vile), laadbuis, kabelmantel (cable hose, cable sheath, jacket), huls (base, bush, can, canning, cap, case, chuck, chuck bush, chuck bushing, clad, cladding, core, harness, jacket, mandrel, tube, wrapper), etui (box, container, jug, vessel), bus (autobus, bus, can, drum, hub, letterbox, mailbox, motorbus, nave, omnibus, tin, tin can), beschermingsmantel, bekleding (cover, protective cover). (various references) | |
Farsi | پوشاندن (Apparel, Blanket, Camouflage, Case, Clothe, Coat, Cover, Emboss, Envelop, Immerse, Jacket, Line, Mask, Overcast, Sheathe, Shroud, Submerge, Suffuse, Veil), پوش (Sheathe), کندکردن (Blunt, Clog, Dull, Letup, Rebate, Sheathe, Slacken), غلافدارکردن (Sheathe), غلاف کردن (Scabbard, Sheathe), غلاف (Casing, Pod, Sheathe, Vagina), جلد (Case, Copy, Cover, Epidermis, Holster, Jacket, Nimble, Quick, Sheathe, Shell, Skin, Tome, Volume, Yare). (various references) | |
Finnish | suojus (case, casing, cover, guard, jacket, protector, screen, shelter, shield), vaippa (cape, casing, cloak, cover, diaper, gown, mantle, napkin), tuppi (silent person), polttoaineen suojakuori (can, canning, clad, cladding, jacket), päällys (coat, cover, jacket, wrapper), kuori (bark, case, chancel, choir, crust, fruit skin, hull, husk, jacket, peel, shell), kotelo (case, chrysa|lis, container holster), kerros (floor, layer, storey, story, stratum), kalvo (film, membrane, pellicle), kaapelin vaippa (cable hose, cable sheath). (various references) | |
French | gaine (shaft), fourreau (sheat), enveloppe (sheathing, shell). (various references) | |
German | scheide (border, borderline, scabbard, vagina), mantel (casing, cloak, coat, cope, curved surface, jacket, mantle, overcoat, pallium, share sertificate, topcoat, wrap), hülle (case, cover, envelope, exterior, holder, integument, jacket, shell, skin, sleeve, top, velum, wrapper, wrapping), Futteral (case). (various references) | |
Greek | κολεός (vagina), θήκη (cap, case, casing, crown, holder, receptacle, scabbard). (various references) | |
Hebrew | מעט" (coat, covering, mantle, rig, veil, wrap), כובעון (condom, preservative), בית "סכין (scabbard), "ן (case, scabbard), רתיק (case, holster, wallet). (various references) | |
Hungarian | tok (barrel, boll, capsule, case, casing, holder, holster, husk, pod, shuck, skin, socket), hüvely (barrel, cod, Hull, husk, placket, pod, scabbard, shuck, sleeve, vagina). (various references) | |
Italian | guaina (case, girdle, scabbard), fodero (case, scabbard). (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | シーアンドエア方式 (CM, commercial message, off-season, sea and air system, seajack, Seasat, seasickness, seaside, seaside resort, seaside school, season, season in, season sale, season stock, seasoning, secret, Secret Service, seek, seeker, see-through look, sequence, sequencer, sequential, sheath silhouette, Sikh). (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | シース . (various references) | |
Korean | 칼집. (various references) | |
Manx | fine (quiver, scabbard, vagina). (various references) | |
Pig Latin | eathshay.(various references) | |
Portuguese | revestimento (boarding, case, casing, clothing, coat, coating, covering, encasement, facing, finish, jacket, lining, revetment, slipover), estojo (box, boxing, case, casket, holder, kit, pyxis, set, socket), bainha (case, cover, edging, fell, hem, holder, husk, lap, pod, scabbard, seam, socket, underdress). (various references) | |
Romanian | toc (case, casement, casing, cover, feather, holster, housing, knock, pen, penholder, plume, smack, stalk, tap), teacã (case, casing, cover, jacket, scabbard), manşon (chuck, collar, muff, nut, sleeve, thimble), husã (antimacassar, bag, casing, dust cloth, dust-wrap, tidy), elitrã (shard), înveliş al unui organ. (various references) | |
Russian | ножны (scabbard, sheaths). (various references) | |
Scottish | truaill (a sheath, defile, pollute, profane, scabbard, violate). (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | korice (cover, jacket, scabbard), kanije (scabbard). (various references) | |
Spanish | vaina (husk, pod, scabbard, seedcase, shell, shuck, take), funda (cover, holster, jacket, service, serving, slip, take), estuche (box, caddy, case, container, jug, kit, set, take, vessel), envoltura (case, cover, covering, envelope, envelopment, jacket, membrane, swaddle, wrap, wrapper, wrapping). (various references) | |
Swedish | slida (scabbard, vagina). (various references) | |
Thai | ใส่ปลอก (sheathe), ฝัก"าบ, ถุงยางอนามัย (rubber). (various references) | |
Turkish | zarf (adverb, adverbial, calyx, cartridge, cover, envelope, receptacle, shuck), prezervatif (condom, french letter, preservative, rubber), kaput (bonnet, coat, condom, cowling), kaplama (casing, covering, cowl, encrustation, facing, fairing, incrustation, lining, overgrowth, overlap, overlay, plated, plating, revetment, sheathing, skin, veneering), kın (scabbard), kılıf (case, casing, cover, dust cover, envelope, fig leaf, garment, guise, husk, slipcover, tick, Tunica, vagina), elitra, dar ve düz elbise. (various references) | |
Ukrainian | футляр (cabinet, cap, case, casing, cover, encasement, hose), оболонка (capsule, carcass, casing, casket, coma, covering, envelope, membrane, operculum, rind, shell, skin, tunic), піхви (scabbard). (various references) | |
Welsh | gwain (scabbard). (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Greek | 700 BCE-300 CE | theke. (various references) |
| Latin | 500 BCE-Modern | vagina, vaginam. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Language | Date | Source | 1 Chronicles Chapter 21, Verse 27 |
| Greek (transliterated) | 250 BC | Septuagint | Kai eipen kurioV proV ton aggelon kai kateqhken thn romfaian eiV ton koleon |
| Latin | 405 | Vulgate | Praecepitque Dominus angelo et convertit gladium suum in vaginam |
| Jacobean English | 1611 | King James | And the LORD commanded the angel; and he put up his sword again into the sheath thereof. |
| Victorian English | 1833 | Webster | And the LORD commanded the angel; and he put up his sword again into its sheath. |
| Basic English | 1964 | Ogden | Then the Lord gave orders to the angel, and he put back his sword into its cover. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Language | 1 Chronicles Chapter 21, Verse 27 |
| Cebuano | Ug si Jehova nagsugo sa manolonda; ug iyang gisakub pag-usab ang iyang espada sa sakuban niana. |
| Chinese | 耶 ' 華 吩 ' 使 者 、 他 就 " 刀 入 鞘 。 |
| Croatian | Jahve zapovjedi anðelu da vrati maè u korice. |
| Danish | Og på HERRENs Bud stak Engelen sit Sværd i Balgen igen. |
| Dutch | En de HEERE zeide tot den engel, dat hij zijn zwaard weder in zijn schede steken zou. |
| Finnish | Ja Herra käski enkelin pistää miekkansa tuppeen. |
| French | Alors l`Éternel parla l`ange, qui remit son épée dans le fourreau. |
| German | Und der HERR sprach zum Engel, daß er sein Schwert in sein Scheide kehrte. |
| Hungarian | És parancsola az Úr az angyalnak; és betevé az õ kardját hüvelyébe. |
| Indonesian-Bahasa Sehari-hari | Lalu TUHAN menyuruh malaikat itu menyarungkan kembali pedangnya, maka malaikat itu melaksanakan perintah TUHAN itu. |
| Indonesian-Terjemahan Lama | Maka berfirmanlah Tuhan kepada malaekat itu, menyuruhkan dia menyarungkan pula pedangnya. |
| Maori | Na ka korero a Ihowa ki te anahera, a whakahokia ana e ia tana hoari ki tona takotoranga. |
| Norwegian | Og Herren bød engelen at han skulde stikke sitt sverd i skjeden igjen. |
| Portuguese | E o Senhor deu ordem ao anjo, que tomou a meter a sua espada na bainha. |
| Rumanian | Atunci Domnul a vorbit kngerului, care wi -a vkrkt iarqw sabia kn teacq. |
| Swedish | Och på HERRENS befallning stack ängeln sitt svärd tillbaka i skidan. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "sheath": sheathbill, sheathbills, sheathe, sheathed, sheather, sheathers, sheathes, sheathing, sheathings, sheaths. (additional references) | |
Words ending with "sheath": ensheath, insheath. (additional references) | |
Words containing "sheath": ensheathe, ensheathed, ensheathes, ensheathing, ensheaths, insheathed, insheathing, insheaths, unsheathe, unsheathed, unsheathes, unsheathing. (additional references) | |
| |
"Sheath" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: Scheat, Schiach, Schnath, searth, seath, shaat, Shaath, shaht, Shanaghy, shealth, sheats, Shebah, sheech, sheesh, sheeth, Shehadi, sheit, sheith, sheta, sheueth, Sheugh, Shiach, Shiah, Shigata, shiraho, shith, Shiyah, shleath, Shoah, Shonagh, Shuaghr, Sleath, Smeeth, speath, speeth, steath, wheath. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "sheath" (pronounced shē"th) |
| 2 | -ē" th | beneath, bequeath, Heath, teeth, underneath, wreath. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
Direct Anagrams: heaths. | |
| Words within the letters "a-e-h-h-s-t" | |
-1 letter: haets, haste, hates, heath, heats, heths. | |
-2 letters: ates, east, eath, eats, etas, eths, haes, haet, hahs, hash, hast, hate, hath, hats, heat, hehs, hest, heth, hets, sate, seat, seta, shah, shea, teas, thae. | |
-3 letters: ash, ate, eat, eta, eth, hae, hah, has, hat, heh, hes, het, sae, sat, sea, set, sha, she, shh. | |
| Words containing the letters "a-e-h-h-s-t" | |
+1 letter: chetahs, hatches, healths, hearths, sheathe, sheaths. | |
+2 letters: cheetahs, ensheath, harshest, hatchels, hatchers, hatchets, heathens, heathers, hotheads, insheath, sheathed, sheather, sheathes, thatches, thrashed, thrasher, thrashes. | |
+3 letters: bathhouse, chatchkes, ensheathe, ensheaths, ethnarchs, headhunts, heathiest, heathless, heptarchs, insheaths, phosphate, sheathers, sheathing, shtetlach, thaneship, thatchers, thrashers, unsheathe, whitewash. | |
+4 letters: bathhouses, earthshine, ensheathed, ensheathes, halophytes, halothanes, hatcheries, hatchments, haughtiest, headlights, healthiest, heartaches, heathenish, heathenism, heathlands, homeopaths, hydathodes, hyphenates, insheathed, naphthenes, nightshade, nuthatches, phosphates, photophase, sheathbill, sheathings, thaneships, thatchiest, thearchies, thickheads, toothaches, unsheathed, unsheathes, whiteheads. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Images: Slideshow 7. Images: Photo Album 8. Quotations: Familiar | 9. Quotations: Fiction 10. Quotations: Non-fiction 11. Usage Frequency 12. Expressions | 13. Expressions: Internet 14. Translations: Modern 15. Translations: Ancient 16. Bible Trace | 17. Derivations 18. Rhymes 19. Anagrams 20. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
