shed
/ʃɛd/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.23 in modern English
8
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
4
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To sprinkle; to intersperse; to cover.
Example Sentences
- "to shed something in two"
- "to shed the sheep from the lambs"
- "A metal comb shed her golden hair."
- "We are shed with each other by an enormous distance."
- "1635, "Sermon on Philippians III, 7, 8", in Select Practical Writings of David Dickson (1845), Volume 1, page 166 Internet Archive Lest […] ye shed with God."
- "You must shed your fear of the unknown before you can proceed."
Etymology
From Middle English scheden, schede, from Old English scēadan, scādan (“to separate, divide, part, make a line of separation between; remove from association or companionship; distinguish, discriminate, decide, determine, appoint; shatter, shed; expound; decree; write down; differ”), from Proto-West Germanic *skaiþan, from Proto-Germanic *skaiþaną (compare West Frisian skiede, Dutch and German scheiden), from Proto-Indo-European *skeyt- (“to cut, part, divide, separate”), from *skey-. See also Irish scian (“knife”), Lithuanian skėsti (“to spread”), ski̇́esti (“to separate”), Old Church Slavonic цѣдити (cěditi, “to filter, strain”), Ancient Greek σχίζω (skhízō, “to split”), Old Armenian ցտեմ (cʻtem, “to scratch”), Sanskrit च्यति (cyáti, “he cuts off”)). Related to shoad, shit, sheath.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: *skey-, scheden, scēadan, *skaiþan, *skaiþaną, *skeyt-