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An American Dictionary of the English Language

by Noah Webster

Revised and enlarged (Goodrich & Porter)

Springfield, Mass. · G. & C. Merriam · 1865

Entries
95,912
Pages
1,538
Illustrations
2,133

Look up a word as the writers of the time used it.

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  1. Sheen'y, a.p. 1216Sheen; bright; shining. “The sheeny summer morn.” Tennyson.
  2. Sheep, n. sing. & pl.p. 1216(Zoöl.) A small ruminant quadruped, valued for its flesh and wool, the common sheep being Ovis aries, of which there are many varieties. ☞ The sheep is allied to the goat, having, like it, no…
  3. Sheep'-bér'ry, n.p. 1216(Bot.) A small tree of the genus Viburnum (V. lentago), having white flowers in flat cymes, and edible fruit. Gray.
  4. Sheep'-bite, v. i.p. 1216To bite or nibble like a sheep; hence, to practice petty thefts. [Obs.] Shak.
  5. Sheep'-bit'er, n.p. 1216One who practices petty thefts. [Obs.] Shak.
  6. Sheep'-cōt, n.p. 1216A small inclosure for sheep; a pen.
  7. Sheep'-fāced, a.p. 1216Excessively bashful; sheepish.
  8. Sheep'-fōld, n.p. 1216A fold or pen for sheep; a place where sheep are collected or confined.
  9. Sheep'-hōōk, n.p. 1216A hook fastened to a pole, by which shepherds lay hold on the legs of their sheep; a shepherd's crook.
  10. Sheep'ish, a.p. 1216Pertaining to sheep. [Obs.] Stafford. 2. Like a sheep; bashful; timorous to excess; over-modest; meanly or foolishly diffident. Wanting change of company, he will, when he comes abroad, be a sheepish…
  11. Sheep'ish-ly, adv.p. 1216In a sheepish manner; bashfully.
  12. Sheep'ish-ness, n.p. 1216The quality of being sheepish; excessive modesty or diffidence; timorousness; bashfulness. Herbert.
  13. Sheep'-laurel, n.p. 1216(Bot.) A small evergreen shrub of the genus Kalmia (K. angustifolia), having small corymbs of flowers of a handsome pink color. Gray.
  14. Sheep'-măr'ket, n.p. 1216A place where sheep are sold.
  15. Sheep'-mâs'ter, n.p. 1216A feeder of sheep; one who has the care of sheep.
  16. Sheep'-rûn, n.p. 1216See SHEEP-WALK.
  17. Sheep's'-beard, n.p. 1216(Bot.) A plant of the genus Tragopogon.
  18. Sheep's'-eye, n.p. 1216A modest, diffident look; a loving or desiring glance. I saw her just now give him the languishing eye, as they call it; that is, the Whiting's-eye, of old called the sheep'-eye. Wycherley.
  19. Sheep’s’-foot, n.p. 1216A tool consisting of a hammer combined with a lever, used by printers.
  20. Sheep'-shānk, n.p. 1216(Naut.) A peculiar kind of knot in a rope, made to shorten it temporarily. Totten.
  21. Sheep's'-hĕad, n.p. 1216(Ichth.) A fish caught on the shores of Connecticut and of Long Island;—so called from the resemblance of its head to that of a sheep; Sparus oris. It is allied to the gilt-head and sea-bream, and is…
  22. Sheep'-shêar'er, n.p. 1216One who shears or cuts off the wool from sheep.
  23. Sheep'-shēar'ing, n.p. 1216The act of shearing sheep. 2. The time of shearing sheep; also, a feast made on that occasion.
  24. Sheep'-shêars, n.p. 1216See SHEAR.
  25. Sheep'-skin, n.p. 1216The skin of a sheep; or leather prepared from it. 2. A diploma; — so called because the parchment on which it is engraved is usually prepared from the skin of the sheep. [Colloq. and vulgar, U. S.]
  26. Sheep'-sôr'rel, n.p. 1216(Bot.) An herb (Rumex acetosella), growing naturally on poor, dry, gravelly soil, the leaves of which have a pleasant acid taste.
  27. Sheep'-split, n.p. 1216The skin of a sheep split by a cutting knife or machine into two sections.
  28. Sheep'-sēa'bi-ōus, n.p. 1216(Bot.) An evergreen herbaceous plant of the genus Jasione.
  29. Sheep'-tick, n.p. 1216(Entom.) An insect of the family Hippoboscidæ, common in pasture grounds in early summer. It fixes its head in the skin of the sheep, extracting the blood, and leaving a tumor.
  30. Sheep'-walk, n.p. 1216Pasture for sheep; a place where sheep feed; — called also sheep-run.
  31. Sheep'y, a.p. 1216Pertaining to, or resembling, sheep; sheepish.
  32. Sheer, a.p. 1216Separate from any thing foreign; unmingled; pure; clear. “A fountain sheer.” Spenser. “Sheer ale.” Shak. 2. Being only what it seems to be; simple; mere; unrelieved. Here is a necessity, on the one…
  33. Sheer, adv.p. 1216Clean; quite; at once. [Obs.] Milton.
  34. Sheer, v. t.p. 1216To shear. [Obs.]
  35. Sheer, v. i.p. 1216To decline or deviate from the line of the proper course; to turn aside; as, a ship sheers from her course; a horse sheers at a stone. To sheer off, to turn or move aside to a distance. — To sheer…
  36. Sheer, n.p. 1216(Naut.) (a.) The longitudinal curve or bend of a ship’s deck or sides. (b.) The position in which a ship is sometimes kept at single anchor, to keep her clear of it. 2. (pl.) Shears. See SHEAR. To…
  37. Sheer'-hŭlk, n.p. 1216See SHEAR-HULK.
  38. Sheer'ly, adv.p. 1216At once; quite; absolutely. [Obs.]
  39. Sheer'-strāke, n.p. 1216(Ship-building.) The strake under the gunwale on the top side. Totten.
  40. Sheer'wa-ter, n.p. 1216(Ornith.) The same as SHEAR-WATER.
  41. Sheet, n.p. 1216In general, any broad, uninterrupted expanse; any expanded superficies; hence, specifically, (a.) A broad piece of cloth used as a part of bed furniture, next to the body. Shroud me in one of those…
  42. Sheet, n.p. 1217(Naut.) A rope fastened to one or both of the lower corners of a sail, to extend and retain it in a particular situation. A wet sheet and a flowing sea. Sargent.
  43. Sheet, v. t.p. 1217To furnish with sheets. [Rare.] 2. To fold in a sheet. “The sheeted dead.” Shak. 3. To cover as with a sheet; to cover with something broad and thin. “When snow the pasture sheets.” Shak. 4. To draw…
  44. Sheet'-ănch'or, n.p. 1217(Naut.) The largest anchor of a ship, which, in stress of weather, is sometimes the seaman’s last refuge to prevent the ship from going ashore. 2. Hence, the chief support; the last refuge for safety.
  45. Sheet'-cā'ble, n.p. 1217(Naut.) The cable attached to the sheet-anchor, being the strongest and best cable of a ship. Simmonds.
  46. Sheet'ful, n.p. 1217Enough to fill a sheet; as much as a sheet can hold.
  47. Sheet'ing, n.p. 1217Cloth for sheets.
  48. Sheet'-light'ning, n.p. 1217Lightning diffused over the surface of the sky. “Like sheet-lightning ever brightening.” Tennyson.
  49. Sheet'ling, n.p. 1217A little sheet. [Rare.]
  50. Sheet'-pile, n.p. 1217A pile of thick plank, shot or jointed on the edges, driven between the main piles of a coffer-dam or other hydraulic work.
  51. Shēik, n.p. 1217An old man; — so called among the Arabians and Moors; hence, a chief, a lord, a man of eminence.
  52. Shēil or Shēil'ing, n.p. 1217The same as SHEELING, q. v.
  53. Shek'el, n.p. 1217An ancient weight and coin among the Jews, and other nations of the same stock, equivalent to twenty gerahs, equal in weight to about half an ounce avoirdupois, and in value equal to about sixty-two…
  54. She-kī’nah, n.p. 1217(Jewish Hist.) That miraculous light or visible glory which was a symbol of the divine presence.
  55. Shēld, a.p. 1217Variegated; spotted; speckled; piebald. [Prov. Eng.] Ray.
  56. Shēld'a-fle or Shēld'a-ple, n.p. 1217A chaffinch. [Written also sheld-apple and shell-apple.] Johnson.
  57. She'l'drake, n.p. 1217(Ornith.) A species of duck (Tadorna vulpanser), somewhat resembling a goose in its shape, and found in Europe. It has a green or greenish-black head, and its body is variegated with white. It is…
  58. She'l'dück, n.p. 1217A species of wild duck. See SHELDRAKE. Mortimer.
  59. Shĕlf, n.p. 1217A board, or platform of boards or planks, elevated above the floor, and fixed or set horizontally on a frame, or contiguous to a wall, for holding vessels, utensils, books, and the like; a ledge. 2.…
  60. Shĕlf'y, a.p. 1217Abounding in, or composed of, shelves; full of dangerous shallows. “A shelfy coast.” Dryden. 2. Full of strata of rock. [Obs.] The tillable fields are in some places . . . so shelfy that the corn…