Pronunciation Verb
sheathe (sheathes, present participle sheathing; past and past participle sheathed)
- (transitive) To put#Verb|put (something such as a knife or sword) into a sheath#Noun|sheath.
- Antonyms: unsheathe
- 1599, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Ivlivs Cæsar”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358 ↗, [Act IV, scene iii], page 125 ↗, column 1:
- Sheath your Dagger: / Be angry when you will, it ſhall haue ſcope: [...]
- 1607, [Barnabe Barnes], The Divils Charter: A Tragædie Conteining the Life and Death of Pope Alexander the Sixt. […], London: Printed by G[eorge] E[ld] for Iohn Wright, […], OCLC 1043018437 ↗, Act III, scene ii ↗:
- Thy Chamber with Ambroſiall odors breatheth, / New loues and true loues vnto them that entreateth, / And furious Mars made milde his falchion#English|Faulcheon ſheatheth / At thy delicious aſpect: [...]
- [1716], [John] Gay, “Book III. Of Walking the Streets by Night.”, in Trivia: Or, The Art of Walking the Streets of London, London: Printed for Bernard Lintott, […], OCLC 13598122 ↗, page 53 ↗:
- At Sight of thee, the Villain ſheaths his Sword, / Nor ſcales the Wall, to ſteal the wealthy Hoard.
- (transitive) To encase (something) with a protective covering#Noun|covering.
- Antonyms: unsheathe
- (transitive) Of an animal: to draw#Verb|draw back or retract (a body part) into the body, such as claw#Noun|claws into a paw#Noun|paw.
- Antonyms: unsheathe
- 1687, [John Dryden], “The Third Part”, in The Hind and the Panther. A Poem, in Three Parts, 2nd edition, London: Printed for Jacob Tonson […], OCLC 460679539 ↗, page 88 ↗:
- So when the gen'rous Lyon has in ſight / His equal match, he rouſes for the fight; / But when his foe lyes proſtrate on the plain, / He ſheaths his paws, uncurls his angry mane; / And, plea'd with bloudleſs honours of the day, / Walks over, and diſdains th' inglorious Prey, [...]
- (transitive, dated or literary, poetic, figuratively) To thrust#Verb|thrust (a sharp#Adjective|sharp object#Noun|object like a sword, a claw, or a tusk) into something.
- 1593, [William Shakespeare], Venvs and Adonis, London: Imprinted by Richard Field, […], OCLC 837166078 ↗, verse 186; Shakespeare’s Venvs & Adonis: […], 4th edition, London: J[oseph] M[alaby] Dent and Co. […], 1896, OCLC 19803734 ↗, lines 1115–1116, page 65 ↗:
- And nuzzling in his flank, the loving swine / Sheathed unaware the tusk in his soft groin.
- c. 1591–1592, William Shakespeare, “The Third Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358 ↗, [Act V, scene v], page 171 ↗, column 1:
- Nay, neuer beare me hence, diſpatch me heere: / Here ſheath thy Sword, Ile pardon thee my death: [...]
- (transitive, obsolete or rare, figuratively) To abandon#Verb|abandon or cease (animosity, etc.)
- c. 1597, William Shakespeare, […] [T]he Merrie Wiues of Windsor. […] (First Quarto), London: Printed by T[homas] C[reede] for Arthur Ihonson, […], published 1602, OCLC 670741489 ↗, [Act II, scene iii] ↗:
- Let him die, but firſt ſheth your impatience, throw cold water on your choler#English|collor, [...]
- (transitive, obsolete) To provide (a sword, etc.) with a sheath.
- c. 1590–1592, William Shakespeare, “The Taming of the Shrew”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: Printed by Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358 ↗, [Act IV, scene i], page 221 ↗, column 2:
- Nathaniels coate ſir was not fully made, / And Gabrels pumpes were all vnpinkt i'th heele: / There was no Linke to colour Peters hat, / And Walters dagger was not come from ſheathing: [...]
- (transitive, medicine, obsolete) To relieve the harsh or painful effect#Noun|effect of (a drug#Noun|drug, a poison#Noun|poison, etc.).
Conjugation of sheathe
| infinitive | (to) sheathe | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| present tense | past tense | ||
| 1st-person singular | sheathe | sheathed | |
| 2nd-person singular | sheathest* | sheathed, sheathedst* | |
| 3rd-person singular | sheathes, sheatheth#English|sheatheth* | sheathed#English|sheathed | |
| plural | sheathe | ||
| subjunctive | sheathe | ||
| imperative | sheathe | — | |
| participle> participles | sheathing | sheathed | |
| * Archaic or obsolete. | |||
- French: engainer, rengainer (of a weapon)
- German: in die Scheide stecken, ummanteln
- Italian: inguainare, rinfoderare
- Portuguese: abainhar, embainhar
- Russian: класть в футляр
- Spanish: envainar
- French: engainer (referring to electrical wires)
- Russian: обши́ть
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