sheep

== English == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈʃiːp/, [ˈʃɪi̯p] Rhymes: -iːp Hyphenation: sheep === Etymology 1 === Inherited from Middle English schep, schepe, from Anglian Old English sċēp (West Saxon sċēap), from Proto-West Germanic *skāp, from Proto-Germanic *skēpą, of unknown origin. Perhaps from the same Scythian word (compare Ossetian цӕу (cæw, “goat”), Persian چپش (čapiš, “yearling goat”)) which was borrowed into Albanian as cjap, sqap (“buck”) and into Slavic (compare Polish cap). After Kroonen, *skēpą is instead from the root of Proto-Germanic *skabaną (“to scratch”) via Kluge's law. ==== Alternative forms ==== shoop (nonstandard, chiefly humorous) sheepe (obsolete) ==== Noun ==== sheep (countable and uncountable, plural sheep or (nonstandard, humorous or childish) sheeps) (countable) A woolly ruminant of the genus Ovis. (countable, strictly) A member of the domestic species Ovis aries, the most well-known species of Ovis. (countable) A timid, shy person who is easily led by others. Synonyms: lamb, ovine; see also Thesaurus:shy person (countable, chiefly Christianity, chiefly plural) A religious adherent, a member of a congregation or religious community (compare flock). 1990, Dave Mustaine, "Holy Wars... The Punishment Due", Megadeth, Rust in Peace. (uncountable) Sheepskin leather. (countable, speech recognition) A person who is easily understood by a speech recognition system; contrasted with goat. (countable) A gullible person. ===== Synonyms ===== See also Thesaurus:sheep ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Descendants ===== Tok Pisin: sipsip (reduplication)→ Rotokas: sipisipi → Abenaki: azib (from "a sheep") → Chuukese: siip → Coeur d'Alene: sip → Quiripi: sheeps ===== Translations ===== ==== See also ==== ==== Further reading ==== sheep on Wikipedia.Wikipedia Ovis on Wikipedia.Wikipedia Sheep (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia Ovis on Wikispecies.Wikispecies === Etymology 2 === ==== Noun ==== sheep (chiefly humorous) plural of shoop === References === === Anagrams === Ephes., HEPES, shepe == Middle English == === Noun === sheep alternative form of schep == Scots == === Etymology === Inherited from Middle Scots scheip, from Middle English schep, from Old English scēap. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ʃip/ === Noun === sheep (plural sheep) sheep (woolly ruminant of the genus Ovis) == Yola == === Noun === sheep alternative form of zheep === References === Jacob Poole (d. 1827) (before 1828), William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, published 1867, page 88