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Sheep

Definition: Sheep

Sheep

Noun

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".

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 

Date "sheep" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1010. (references)

Etymology: Sheep \Sheep\, noun. singular & plural [Old English shep, scheep, Anglo-Saxon, sce['a]p; akin to Old Flemmish, Low German & Dutch schaap, German schaf, Old High German sc[=a]f, Sanskrit ch[=a]ga. Compare to Sheepherd.]. (references)

 

Specialty Definition: Sheep

DomainDefinition

Computing

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). Source: The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing.

Bible

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). Source: Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary.

Dream Interpretation

To dream of shearing them, denotes a season of profitable enterprises will shower down upon you.
To see flocks of sheep, there will be much rejoicing among farmers, and other trades will prosper.
To see them looking scraggy and sick, you will be thrown into despair by the miscarriage of some plan, which promised rich returns.
To eat the flesh of sheep, denotes that ill-natured persons will outrage your feelings. Source: Ten Thousand Dreams Interpreted ....

Food & Agriculture

Large family of ruminants containing the true antelopes, oxen, sheep and goats. Source: European Union. (references)

Literature

Sheep Ram or tup, the sire; ewe, the dam; lamb, the new-born sheep till it is weaned, when it is called a hogget; the tup-lamb being a "tup-hogget," and the ewe-lamb a "ewe-hogget;" if the tup is castrated it is called a wether-hogget.
After the removal of the first fleece, the tup-hogget becomes a shearling, the ewe-hogget a grimmer, and the wether-hogget a dinmont (hence the name "Dandy Dinmont").
After the removal of the second fleece, the shearling becomes a two-shear tup, the grimmer a ewe, and the dinmont a wether.
After the removal of the third fleece, the ewe is called a twinter-ewe; and when it ceases to breed, a draft-ewe.
The Black Sheep (Kââkoin-loo). A tribe which established a principality in Armenia, that lasted 108 years (1360-1468); so called from the device of their standard.
The White Sheep (Ak-koin-loo). A tribe which established a principality in Armenia, etc., on the ruin of the Black Sheep (1468-1508); so called from the device of their standard.
To cast a sheep's eye at one is to look askance, like a sheep, at a person to whom you feel lovingly inclined.
"But he, the beast, was casting sheep's eyes at her." - Colman: Broad Grins. Source: Brewer's Dictionary.

Multilingual Slang

Norwegian (sau). (references)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Specialty Definition: Sheep

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

simple:Sheep

Sheep
larger image
alternate images
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Mammalia
Order:Artiodactyla
Family:Bovidae
Subfamily:Caprinae
Genus:Ovis
Species:aries
Binomial name
Ovis aries

A sheep is any of several wooly ruminant quadrupeds, but most commonly the Domestic Sheep, Ovis aries, which is thought to be descended from the wild Urial of south-central and south-west Asia. For other types of sheep and their close relatives, see goat antelope.

Female sheep are called ewes, males are called rams, yearlings are called hoggetts, and younger sheep are called lambs. There are many breeds of sheep. Sheep can be generally classed as wool breeds, meat breeds, or dual use breeds. Wool breeds are bred for superior wool quantity and quality (fineness of fibers), wool staple length and degree of crimp in the fiber. Major wool breeds are Merino, Rambouillet, and Lincoln. Meat sheep are bred for fast growth, multiple births, ease of lambing, and hardiness. Breeds of meat sheep include Suffolk, Hampshire, Dorset, Columbia, and Texel. The Finnish Landrace sheep is known for multiple births. Some breeds, called hair sheep, like the Katahdin and Dorper, have little to no wool.

For centuries, sheep have represented in many cultures, especially in the Mediterranean area, the most common type of livestock agriculture, and sheep have been the frequent object of selective breeding. A wide symbology regards them in ancient art, traditions and culture. Judaism uses many sheep references including the Passover lamb in Egypt. Christianity uses sheep-related metaphors, like the Christ the good shepherd, the bishop's Pastoral, the lion to lie down with the lamb. Greek Easter celebrations are incomplete without a meal of lamb.

Raising sheep has been a relevant activity in many ancient economies, given that this animal can give milk (and all the derivative products, such as cheese), wool and meat.

In some places, like Sardinia, sheep-breeding has become the principal and characteristic activity. Even now, including reproduction gains, sheep are able to yearly render up to the 400% of their cost. Sheep breeding has been involved in several historic conflicts such as the Highland clearances, the US range wars, and the English "enclosing of the commons".

The sheep (or goat) is one of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. It is thought that each animal is associated with certain personality traits. See: Sheep (Zodiac).

Herding sheep is important in the Jewish and Christian faiths, since Abraham, Jacob, Moses, and King David were all shepherds.

Sheep meat prepared as food is commonly known as mutton. The meat of immature sheep, also termed lamb, is generally regarded as tenderer and is more widely eaten in western countries. Mutton is more flavorful but often tougher and fattier. Lamb is a common feature in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine.

The following was copied from the Simple English Wikipedia:

Sheep follow others blindly. This is why people are sometimes called sheep. It means that a person follows a group of people. This can be because they trust the group. Or it can be because they are not thinking for themself. This can be good if the group leads to something positive (like the group of sheep being led to grass). It can be bad if the group leads the other sheep to something negative.

The way sheep follow each other is so reliable that there are special names for the different roles sheep play in a flock. The sheep that is furthest away from the others is called the outlier, a term also used in statistics. This sheep is willing to go out further away from the safety of the flock to graze, but takes a chance that a predator like a wolf will attack it first, because it is alone. Another sheep, the bellwether, which never goes first but always follows an outlier, is the one that signals to the others that it is safe to go that way. When it moves, the others will also move. Tendency to be outliers or to be bellwethers, or stick in the middle of the flock, seems to stay with a sheep its whole life. There might be genes that make them repeat this role behaviour.

See also: Dolly the sheep

External Links

Sheep are also a Christian rock band of the early 1960s Jesus Movement in Europe, singing in English and Finnish.

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Sheep."

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Sheep (Zodiac)

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

The sheep (or the goat) is one of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. It is thought that each animal is associated with certain personality traits.

People who have this Chinese sign are:

See also: sheep, goat

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Sheep (Zodiac)."

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Synonyms: Sheep

Synonyms: Livestock, Ovine animals. (additional references)

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Synonyms within Context: Sheep

ContextSynonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus).

Animal

Horse. (beast of burden); cattle, kine, ox; bull, bullock; cow, milch cow, calf, heifer, shorthorn; sheep; lamb, lambkin; ewe, ram, tup; pig, swine, boar, hog, sow; steer, stot; tag, teg; bison, buffalo, yak, zebu, dog, cat.

Dog, hound; pup, puppy; whelp, cur, mongrel; house dog, watch dog, sheep dog, shepherd's dog, sporting dog, fancy dog, lap dog, toy dog, bull dog, badger dog; mastiff; blood hound, grey hound, stag hound, deer hound, fox hound, otter hound; harrier, beagle, spaniel, pointer, setter, retriever; Newfoundland; water dog, water spaniel; pug, poodle; turnspit; terrier; fox terrier, Skye terrier; Dandie Dinmont; collie.

Bad Man

Rou_, rake; Sadist; skeesicks, skeezix; limb; one who has sold himself to the devil, fallen angel, ame damnee, vaurien, mauvais sujet, loose fish, sad dog; rounder; lost sheep, black sheep; castaway, recreant, defaulter; prodigal.

Inclosure

Pen, fold; pen fold, in fold, sheep fold; paddock, pound; corral; yard; net, seine net.

Unconformity

Nonconformist; nondescript, character, original, nonesuch, nonsuch, monster, prodigy, wonder, miracle, curiosity, flying fish, black sheep, black swan, lusus naturae, rara avis, queer fish; mongrel, random breed; half-caste, half-blood, half-breed; metis, crossbreed, hybrid, mule, hinny, mulatto; tertium quid, hermaphrodite.

Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus.

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Crosswords: Sheep

English words defined with "sheep": Ancon sheepBarbary sheep, bighorn sheep, black sheepCotswold sheepDall sheep, Dall's sheepmaned sheep, Marco Polo sheep, Marco Polo's sheep, merino sheep, mountain sheep, musk sheepOtter sheepRocky Mountain sheepsheep bell, Sheep bot, sheep botfly, sheep dip, sheep dog, sheep fescue, sheep gadfly, sheep ked, sheep pen, Sheep pest, Sheep pox, sheep rot, Sheep run, Sheep shears, sheep tick, Sheep walk, Southdown sheepwhite sheep, wild sheep. (references)
Specialty definitions using "sheep": black disease of sheepenzootic abortion of sheephair sheepJaagsiekte Sheep RetrovirusNairobi Sheep Disease, Nairobi Sheep Disease Virusespest of sheep and goats, pulmonary adenomatosis of sheepsheep clipper, Sheep Diseases, SHEEP HERDER, sheep nose fly, sheep nostril fly, Sheep Promotion, Research, and Information Act of 1994, SHEEP SHEARERTORMENTER OF SHEEP SKINwool sheep skin, woolled sheep or lamb skin. (references)
Etymologies containing "sheep": Theave. (references)

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Modern Usage: Sheep

DomainUsage

Screenplays

They raise sheep. (Clerks.; writing credit: Kevin Smith)

I wanna move up to Nashua, get a nice little spread, get some sheep and tend to them (Good Will Hunting; writing credit: Matt Damon; Ben Affleck)

Really, Doctor. You'll be consulting the entrails of a sheep next (Doctor Who; writing credit: Basil Caplan; Martin Defalco)

This whole country's just like my flock of sheep! Hillbillies, hausfraus - everybody that's got to jump when someone else blows a whistle (A Face in the Crowd; writing credit: Budd Schulberg)

These people are sheep. They wanna be vampires 'cause they're lonely, miserable or bored (Buffy the Vampire Slayer; writing credit: Doreen Spicer)

Lyrics

But I ain't losing sleep and I ain't counting sheep, (We Don't Talk Anymore; performing artist: Cliff Richard)

Like a sheep runs from the herd (Minority; performing artist: Green Day)

Adieu, Papa, please pray for me. I was the black sheep of the family (Seasons in the Sun; performing artist: Kingston Trio)

Baby was a black sheep. Baby was a whore (Rock N Roll Nigger; performing artist: Patti Smith)

Clever

We are discreet sheep; we wait to see how the drove is going, and then go with the drove. (references; author: Mark Twain)

When it rains, why don't sheep shrink? (references; author: unknown)

Where do you get virgin wool from?  Ugly sheep. (references; author: unknown)

A statesman shears the sheep. A politician skins them. (references; author: unknown)

Wyoming: Where Men Are Men ... and the sheep are scared! (references; author: unknown)

Tongue Twisters

June sheep sleep soundly. (references; author: unknown)

Sheep shouldn't sleep in a shack. Sheep should sleep in a shed. (references; author: unknown)

Six shy shavers sheared six shy sheep. (references; author: unknown)

Movie/TV Titles

Baa Baa Black Sheep (1974)

Sheep Stealers Anonymous (1963)

Wolf in Sheep Dog's Clothing (1963)

A Sheep in the Deep (1962)

Sheep Wrecked (1958)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Commercial Usage: Sheep

DomainTitle

References

  • The 2003 World Market Forecasts for Imported Raw Sheep and Lamb Skin Hides (reference)

  • The 2000 Import and Export Market for Edible Offals of Bovine, Sheep, Goat, Poultry, Horse and Ass Meat in Argentina (reference)

  • The 2002 World Forecasts of Fresh, Chilled and Frozen Sheep and Goat Meat Export Supplies (reference)

  • The 2003 World Forecasts of Live Sheep and Goats Export Supplies (reference)

  • The 2002 World Forecasts of Raw Sheep and Lamb Skin Hides Export Supplies (reference)

    (more reference examples)

  

Books

  • LA Oveja Negra Y Demas Fabulas/the Black Sheep and Other Fables (reference)

  • Photo Manual & Dissection Guide of the Cat: With Sheep Heart, Brain, Eye (reference)

  • Simone Abel's Shapely Sheep (Simone Abel's Silly Sheep) (reference)

  • Sheep in Wolves' Clothing: When the Actions of a Christian Turn Criminal (reference)

  • Sin, sheep, and Scotsmen : John George Adair and the Derryveagh evictions, 1861 (reference)

    (more book examples)

  

Periodicals

  

Theater & Movies

  

Music

  

High Tech

  

Consumer Goods

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Image Slideshow: Sheep

Photos:
Sheep

More pictures...

Illustrations:
Sheep

More pictures...

Computer Images:
Sheep

More pictures...

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Photo Album: Sheep

ThumbnailDescription & CreditThumbnailDescription & Credit

Bacillus anthracis Gamma phage lysis on sheep blood agar, the culture is grown at 35 degrees centigrade without carbon dioxide. Credit: CDC.

Brucella spp. Colony Characteristics: A. Fastidious, usually not visible at 24h. B. Grows slowly on most standard laboratory media (e.g. sheep blood, chocolate and trypticase soy agars). Pinpoint, smooth, entire translucent, non-hemolytic at 48h. Credit: CDC.

Base camp at Sheep Mountain near the Glenn Highway Triangulation party of J. C. Sammons. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection.

Rincon Grande Ranch in the Falkland Islands - the SHACKLETON came here to pick up sheep carcasses for supplying Antarctic bases. Credit: Paths Less Taken - NOAA at the Ends of the Earth.

Sheep farming at Hill Cove. Credit: Paths Less Taken - NOAA at the Ends of the Earth.

Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. Sheep laurel - Kalmia angustifolia along Mashpee Trail at South Cape Beach. Credit: National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERR).

Sheep graze in Lee County, Iowa pasture. Credit: Lynn Betts.

A Missouri rancher moves cattle and sheep from one paddock to another. Intensive rotational grazing systems like this keep pastures more productive. Credit: Charlie Rahm.

Sheep on range in South Dakota. Credit: USDA.

Sheep in cell system in South Dakota. Credit: USDA.

Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

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Digital Photo Gallery: Sheep
 

"Sheep" by Marlon Bruin
Commentary: "Texel sheep."
"Stone sheep" by Kim Werker
Commentary: "Young Stone Sheep in the Northern Canadian Rockies."

Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers.

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Sounds Captioned with "Sheep".

PlayCaptionPlayCaption
Sheep bleating.Sheep baaing.
Sheep bleating.Sheep bleating.
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Familiar Quotations: Sheep

AuthorQuotation

Charles Maurice Talleyrand

I am more afraid of an army of 100 sheep led by a lion than an army of 100 lions led by a sheep.

Henri B. Stendhal

The shepherd always tries to persuade the sheep that their interests and his own are the same.

Hesiod

They once taught Hesiod beauteous song, when he was shepherding his sheep below holy Helicon.

Marcus T. Cicero

Every man can tell how many goats or sheep he possesses, but not how many friends.

Miguel De Cervantes

'Tis a dainty thing to command, though 'twere but a flock of sheep.

Richard Whately

Men are like sheep, of which a flock is more easily driven than a single one.

Sister Kenney

It's better to be a lion for a day than a sheep all your life.

Solon

Rich people without wisdom and learning are but sheep with golden fleeces.

Thomas Fuller

It is madness for sheep to talk peace with a wolf.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

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Historic Usage: Sheep

AuthorDateQuotation

John Locke

1690

Thus, at the beginning, Cain might take as much ground as he could till, and make it his own land, and yet leave enough to Abel's sheep to feed on; a few acres would serve for both their possessions. (Second Treatise of Government)

Treaty of Versailles

1919

As an immediate advance on account of the animals referred to in paragraph 2 (a) above, Germany undertakes to deliver in equal monthly installments in the three months following the coming into force of the present Treaty the following quantities of live stock: (1) To the French Government. 500 stallions (3 to 7 years); 30,000 fillies and mares (18 months to 7 years), type: Ardennais, Boulonnais or Belgian; 2,000 bulls (18 months to 3 years); 90,000 milch cows (2 to 6 years); 1,000 rams; 100,000 sheep; 10,000 goats. (2) To the Belgian Government. 200 stallions (3 to 7 years), large Belgian type; 5,000 mares (3 to 7 years), large Belgian type; 5,000 fillies (18 months to 3 years), large Belgian type; 2,000 bulls (18 months to 3 years); 50,000 milch cows (2 to 6 years); 40,000 heifers; 200 rams; 20,000 Sheep; 15,000 sows. (reference)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

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Use in Literature: Sheep

TitleAuthorQuote

The Little Prince

Antoine de Saint-Exupery

The proof that the little prince existed is that he laughed, and tha the was looking for a sheep. If anybody wants a sheep, that is a proof that he exists

Life, the Universe and Everything

Douglas Adams

"Now I lay me down to sleep, "Try to count electric sheep, "Sweet dream wishes you can keep, "How I hate the night."

Les Miserables

Hugo, Victor

However, the shepherd should not recoil from the diseased sheep.

Gulliver's Travels

Swift, Jonathan

I put my cows and sheep into my coat pockets, and got on board with all my little cargo of provisions

Walden

Thoreau, Henry David

The air is filled with the bleating of calves and sheep, and the hustling of oxen, as if a pastoral valley were going by.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

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Non-Fiction Usage: Sheep

SubjectTopicQuote

Health

Cattle, sheep, and goats are the primary reservoirs of C. burnetii. (references)

Ensure that holding facilities for sheep should be located away from populated areas. (references)

When sheep, goats, cows, or camels are infected, their milk is contaminated with the bacteria. (references)

Business

The use of this agricultural land ranges from crop production and mixed farming in winter rainfall and high summer rainfall years, to cattle ranching in the bushveld and sheep farming in arid areas. (references)

A research project prepared in 1999, funded by the Environment Agency, revealed that an estimated 78,086 cubic meters of sheep dip is the most significant annual volume of hazardous waste produced in livestock farming. (references)

For purposes of comparison, one cubic meter of diluted dip weighs approximately one ton. Organo-phosphates in sheep dip have been blamed for degenerative diseases in workers who have regularly been exposed to these chemical products. (references)

Civil Liberties

Turkey

Hakkari provincial authorities have distributed sheep to returning villagers, noting a return to normal economic production after a 2-year period of peace. (references)

Economic History

Chad

The figures above are unofficial estimates for beef, goats, sheep. (references)

Mali

Mali's resource in livestock consists of millions of cattle, sheep, and goats. (references)

Political Economy

Turkmenistan

It is largely a desert with cattle and sheep raising, intensive agriculture in irrigated areas, and huge oil and gas reserves. (references)

UNITED KINGDOM

This is approximately 13 percent of the total livestock population in the country, although the majority of the cull is sheep. (references)

ALGERIA

Almost all export restrictions have been removed, the exceptions being palm seedlings, sheep, and artifacts of historical or archaeological significance. (references)

Trade

Lebanon

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has authorized $10 million in credit guarantees for sales of U.S. breeder livestock to Lebanon under the Commodity Credit Corporation's Export Credit Guarantee Program (GSM-103). The Commodities covered under GSM 103 are breeder livestock (cattle, swine, sheep, horses, and donkeys, including semen and embryos). (references)

Brazil

Breeder livestock (cattle, swine, sheep, goats, horses and donkeys, including semen and embryos); wine and brandy, distilled spirits (rum, wodka and whiskey); fresh vegetables (asparagus, beans, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, celery, corn, garlic, lettuce, onions, peppers, potatoes and tomatoes); canned vegetables (asparagus, beans, carrots, corn, peas, tomatoes and tomato paste); frozen vegetables (beans, broccoli, carrots, corn and spinach); peanut butter or peanut flour; dairy products (butter, butter oil, ghee, anhydrous milk fat, non-fat and whole milk powder, whey powder, whey protein concentrate, lactose, non-sweetened condensed milk, fluid milk, lecithin and cheese); ice cream; meat, frozen or chilled (beef, pork and their products);wheat, wheat flour, semolina; cotton, 100% cotton yarn, 100% cotton fabrics (woven and knit unbleached/bleached/dyed, and/or printed); rice; feed grains (barley, including malting barley, white corn, yellow corn, sorghum and oats); corn products (flour, starch, corn meal, popcorn and gluten); pulses(dry beans, peas and lentils), poultry breeder stock (baby chicks, turkey pouts and hatching eggs); eggs and egg products (fresh, dry, refrigerated, frozen, albumin, etc); fresh fruits (apples, apricots, avocados, blueberries, cherries, grapes, grapefruit, kiwi, lemons, melons, nectarines, oranges, pears, plums, peaches, raspberries and tangerines); hops: hops extract; tallow: grease, lard, barley malt; potatoes(cut and chilled or frozen; flakes, granules); peanuts; commercially prepared dog and cat food, animal feed ingredients, fish food; seeds for sowing; almonds ( walnuts, pistachios, hazelnut and pecan); dry fruits, frozen fruits, canned fruits, fruit pure and fruit pulp, 100% natural fruit juice; seafood (fresh and frozen);tomato paste; alfalfa; honey; skins; nutritional beverages preparations (for human consumption); soy protein products; vegetable oils; wood; beer; cereals; preparation for breads and pizzas (powder, refrigerated of frozen); canned pickles; ready-to-eat meals; soft drinks and sodas; soups and sauces. (references)

Travel

Qatar

Makhbous (rice with roast sheep) is the most common food in the Gulf. (references)

Lexicography

Devil's Dictionary

PRESENTABLE, adj. Hideously appareled after the manner of the time and place. In Boorioboola-Gha a man is presentable on occasions of ceremony if he have his abdomen painted a bright blue and wear a cow's tail; in New York he may, if it please him, omit the paint, but after sunset he must wear two tails made of the wool of a sheep and dyed black.

Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

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Usage Frequency: Sheep

"Sheep" is generally used as a noun (common) -- approximately 99.67% of the time. "Sheep" is used about 3,041 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 SpeechPercentUsage per
100 Million Words
Rank in English
Noun (common)99.67%3,0313,091
Noun (proper)0.3%9117,287
Unclassified Items0.03%1339,140
                    Total100.00%3,041N/A

Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.

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Derived & Related Names: Sheep

The following table summarizes names derived from the word "sheep".
 
NameGenderLanguageMeaning
AharhelN/ABiblical

A brother's sheep

AshtarothN/ABiblical

Sheep

RachelN/ABiblical

Sheep

ShaashgazN/ABiblical

That shears the sheep

RachaelN/AEnglish

Sheep

RachealN/AEnglish

Sheep

RachelleN/AEnglish

Sheep

RachylN/AEnglish

Sheep

RaeN/AEnglish

Sheep

RaschelleN/AEnglish

Sheep

RaakelN/AFinnish

Sheep

RáichéalN/AIrish

Sheep

RacheleN/AItalian

Sheep

RuchelN/AJewish

Sheep

RaquelN/APortuguese

Sheep

RakelN/AScandinavian

Sheep

RaquelN/ASpanish

Sheep

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

 

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Expressions: Sheep

Expressions using "sheep": Ancon sheep Barbary sheep bighorn sheep black disease of sheep black sheep black sheep person border disease of sheep Cotswold sheep Dall sheep Dall's sheep domestic sheep drive sheep into a field enzootic abortion of sheep flock of sheep hair sheep horse sheep Jaagsiekte Sheep Retrovirus mail sheep maned sheep Marco Polo sheep Marco Polo's sheep Merino sheep mountain sheep musk sheep Nairobi Sheep Disease Nairobi Sheep Disease Viruses otter sheep pest of sheep and goats pulmonary adenomatosis of sheep raise sheep Rocky Mountain sheep shed for sheep sheep and goats sheep bell sheep bot sheep botfly sheep breeding sheep dip Sheep Diseases sheep dog sheep drains sheep farmer sheep farming sheep fescue sheep fold sheep foot roller sheep frog sheep gadfly sheep ked sheep laurel sheep louse sheep measles sheep nose bot(fly) sheep nose fly sheep nostril fly sheep pen sheep pest sheep plant sheep polypore sheep polyporus sheep pox sheep rock sheep rot sheep run sheep scabious sheep shears sheep sorrel sheep station sheep stealer sheep tick sheep walk Shetland sheep dog Southdown sheep spanish sheep the black sheep of the family vegetable sheep white sheep wild sheep wool sheep skin woolled sheep or lamb skin. Additional references.

Hyphenated Usage

Beginning with "sheep": sheep-and-corn, sheep-and-goats, sheep-bitten, sheep-breeding, sheep-cote, sheep-cropped, sheep-dip, sheep-dippers, sheep-dirt, sheep-dog, sheep-dogs, sheep-dotted, sheep-eating, Sheep-faced, sheep-fanks, sheep-farm, sheep-farmer, sheep-farmers, sheep-farming, sheep-fencing, sheep-filled, Sheep-fold, sheep-folds, sheep-foot, Sheep-gate, sheep-grazed, sheep-grazing, sheep-grey, Sheep-headed, sheep-hirsels, sheep-hook, sheep-hooks, sheep-house, sheep-hurdle, sheep-like, Sheep-market, sheep-meat, sheep-mown, sheep-owners, sheep-pen, Sheep-pig, sheep-racing, sheep-ranch, sheep-ranching, sheep-rearing, sheep-rich, sheep-scaring, sheep-shagger, Sheep-shearer, sheep-shearers, Sheep-shearing, sheep-shears, sheep-skins, sheep-slopes, sheep-spangled, sheep-stealing, sheep-ticks, sheep-to-wearer, sheep-track, sheep-tracks, sheep-washing, sheep-white, sheep-women, sheep-worrying.

Ending with "sheep": black-sheep, com-sheep, corn-and-sheep, corn-sheep, half-sheep, herd-of-sheep, psycho-sheep.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Frequency of Internet Keywords: Sheep

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.
 
ExpressionFrequency
per Day
ExpressionFrequency
per Day

sheep

2,779

sheep feed

63

sheep skin rug

843

big horn sheep

62

sheep skin

714

australian dog sheep

54

black sheep

249

raising sheep

46

sheep picture

224

do android dream of electric sheep

43

sheep skin seat cover

203

art clip sheep

43

albino black sheep

166

sheep skin car seat cover

43

sheep dog

134

sheep for sale

43

sheep skin slipper

120

serta sheep

43

new sheep zealand

118

sheep skin jacket

42

old english sheep dog

117

suffolk sheep

42

sheep shearing

116

clipart sheep

42

sex with sheep

106

sheep skin coat

40

dolly sheep

103

beef model sheep

39

bighorn sheep

98

baa baa black sheep

39

sheep breed

94

sheep skin product

37

cartoon sheep

76

dorper sheep

37

shetland sheep dog

69

fat sheep

35

sheep shears

66

cloned dolly sheep

35

black sheep squadron

63
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

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Modern Translation: Sheep

Language Translations for "sheep"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses.

Afrikaans

  

skaap. (various references)

   

Albanian

  

dhen, dele (ewe, fold, tup). (various references)

   

Arabic 

  

‏نعجة (ewe, nanny goat), ‏غنم (loot), ‏خروف (lamb, ram), ‏جلد الخروف, ‏الضعيف (weak), ‏الجبان (coward, dastard, paver, recreant). (various references)

   

Asturian

  

oveya. (various references)

   

Basque

  

ardi (ewe sheep). (various references)

   

Bemba

  

impanga (field). (various references)

   

Blackfoot

  

íímahkihkinaa. (various references)

   

Bulgarian 

  

овча кожа (sheepskin), овца (ewe, mutton), паство (congregation, flock). (various references)

   

Catalan

  

ovella. (various references)

   

Cebuano

  

karnero. (various references)

   

Chamorro

  

kinilu. (various references)

   

Chinese 

  

(antelope), 绵羊. (various references)

   

Cornish

  

davas. (various references)

   

Czech

  

ovce (ewe). (various references)

   

Danish

  

får (wool-bearing animal). (various references)

   

Dutch

  

schaap (wild sheep, wool-bearing animal). (various references)

   

Ecuadorian Quechua

  

llama. (various references)

   

Esperanto

  

ŝafo. (various references)

   

Faeroese

  

seyður. (various references)

   

Farsi 

  

چرم گوسفند, ادم ساده ومطیع . (various references)

   

Finnish

  

pässi (ram), lammas (mutton). (various references)

   

French

  

mouton (sheepskin). (various references)

   

Frisian

  

skiep. (various references)

   

German

  

Schaf (dope, twit), Schafe (wool-bearing animal). (various references)

   

Greek 

  

πρόβατα, πρόβατο (wild sheep). (various references)

   

Hawaiian

  

dele. (various references)

   

Hebrew 

  

כבשה (ewe, ewe lamb), כבש (lamb), רחל (ewe), צאן (flock, goat, small cattle). (various references)

   

Hungarian

  

juh (ovine), birka (to play the giddy goat). (various references)

   

Icelandic

  

sauður. (various references)

   

Indonesian

  

kambing (goat), domba (the congregation), biri-biri. (various references)

   

Irish

  

caora. (various references)

   

Italian

  

pecora (ewe), ovino (ovine). (various references)

   

Japanese Kanji 

  

, 緬羊 , 綿羊 , ムコ多糖類 (badger, maker, maker option, meuniere, monsieur, mucopolysaccharide, mulatto, Mussolini, mustang, mutton, thick illustrated publication on a single topic printed to look like a magazine). (various references)

   

Japanese Katakana 

  

ムトン (mutton), ひつじ (eighth sign of Chinese zodiac), めんよう (mysterious, strange, weird). (various references)

   

Kongo

  

meme. (various references)

   

Korean 

  

(Quant, Quanta, Quantities, Quantitive, Quantity, Quantum, Volume). (various references)

   

Lombard

  

pecora. (various references)

   

Macedonian

  

ovca. (various references)

   

Malay

  

domba. (various references)

   

Manx

  

kirree (Kitty), keyrrey. (various references)

   

Maori

  

hipi. (various references)

   

Maya

  

taman. (various references)

   

Mohawk

  

siksik. (various references)

   

Norwegian

  

får (mutton). (various references)

   

Papago

  

kahwul. (various references)

   

Papiamen

  

karné. (various references)