sheaf  (sh ēf)
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n. pl. sheaves (sh ēvz) 1. A bundle of cut stalks of grain or similar plants bound with straw or twine. 2. A collection of items held or bound together: a sheaf of printouts. 3. An archer's quiver. tr.v. sheafed, sheaf·ing, sheafs To gather and bind into a bundle.
[Middle English sheef, from Old English scēaf.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices
Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:
Indo-European Roots
Semitic Roots
The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.
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