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Added 9 October 2026

sheath

/ʃiːθ/ noun

In Latin: vāgīna Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about sheath at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A protective covering (as for a knife or sword).
An enveloping structure or covering enclosing an animal or plant organ or part.
A dress suitable for formal occasions.

Origin

From Middle English sheth, shethe (“holder for a sword, knife, etc., scabbard, sheath”) [and other forms], from Old English sċēaþ (“sheath”), from Proto-West Germanic *skaiþiju, from Proto-Germanic *skaiþiz (“sheath; covering”), from Proto-Indo-European *skey- (“to dissect, split”) (possibly from the notion of a split stick with a sword inserted). The English word is cognate with Danish skede, Dutch schede, Icelandic skeið, German Scheide, Low German scheed, Norwegian skjede.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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