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sheet
sheet1 / shēt/ • n. 1. a large rectangular piece of cotton or other fabric, used on a bed to cover the mattress and as a layer beneath blankets when these are used. ∎ used in comparisons to describe the pallor of a person who is ill or has had a shock: Are you OK? You're as white as a sheet. ∎ a broad flat piece of material such as metal or glass: the small pipe has been formed from a flat sheet of bronze. 2. a rectangular piece of paper, esp. one of a standard size produced commercially and used for writing and printing on: a sheet of unmarked paper. ∎ a quantity of text or other information contained on such a piece of paper: he produced yet another sheet of figures. ∎ a flat piece of paper as opposed to a reel of continuous paper, the bound pages of a book, or a folded map. ∎ all the postage stamps printed on one piece of paper: a sheet of stamps. ∎ a map, esp. one part of a series covering a larger area. 3. an extensive unbroken surface area of something: a sheet of ice. ∎ a broad moving mass of flames or water: the rain was still falling in sheets. • v. 1. [tr.] cover with or wrap in a sheet or sheets: we sheeted a narrow bed. 2. [intr.] (of rain) fall in large quantities: rain sheeted down. sheet2 Naut. • n. 1. a rope attached to the lower corner of a sail for securing or extending the sail or for altering its direction. 2. (sheets) the space at the bow or stern of an open boat. • v. [tr.] (sheet something in/out) make a sail more or less taut. ∎ (sheet something home) extend a sail by tightening the sheets so that the sail is set as flat as possible. PHRASES: two (or three) sheets to the wind inf. drunk. |
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Cite this article
"sheet." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "sheet." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-sheet.html "sheet." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-sheet.html |
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sheet
sheet1 broad piece of linen (etc.) covering OE. (as an article of bedding XIII); piece of paper or parchment for writing or printing on; broad expanse XVI. OE. (Angl.) sċēte, (WS.) sċïete, f. Gmc. *skaut- *skeut- *skut- (see SHOOT), One meaning of which is ‘project’. The unmutated stem is repr. by OE. sċēat corner, region, lap, bosom, skirt, cloth = MLG. schōt, (M)Du. schoot lap, sail-rope, OHG. scōz (G. schoss) skirt, lappet, lap, ON. skaut corner, quarter, skirt, bosom, sail-rope, Goth. skauts hem of garment, and the forms S. V. SHEET2.
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Cite this article
T. F. HOAD. "sheet." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "sheet." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-sheet.html T. F. HOAD. "sheet." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-sheet.html |
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sheet
sheet.
1. A purchase or single line used for trimming sails to the wind. A square sail set on a yard has two sheets, one to each clew. Sails on a fore-and-aft rig normally only have a single sheet to the clew, the double-clewed jib being an exception to the rule. The junk rig is notable for having multiple sheets that lead from the bamboo batten ends on the luff of the sail. 2. As a verb, such as to sheet in a sail, it indicates the action of hardening in a sail, usually when it is desired to sail closer to the wind. |
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Cite this article
"sheet." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "sheet." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-sheet.html "sheet." The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea. 2006. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O225-sheet.html |
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sheet
sheet2 rope attached to lower (leeward) corner of a sail. XIV. repr. OE. sċēata lower corner of a sail, but used for scēatline (see LINE2) = MLG. schōtlīne (cf. ON. skautreip), prob. after ON. skaut or MLG., MDu. schōte, both in this sense. OE. sċeēata corr. to (M)LG. schōte, OHG. scoza skirt, ON. skauti kerchief; cf. SHEET1.
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Cite this article
T. F. HOAD. "sheet." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "sheet." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-sheet1.html T. F. HOAD. "sheet." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-sheet1.html |
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sheet
sheet n.
1. a rope attached to the lower corner of a sail for securing or extending the sail or for altering its direction. 2. (sheets) the space at the bow or stern of an open boat. v. 1. (sheet something in/out) make a sail more or less taut. 2. (sheet something home) extend a sail by tightening the sheets so that the sail is set as flat as possible. |
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Cite this article
"sheet." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "sheet." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-sheet.html "sheet." The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military. 2001. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O63-sheet.html |
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sheet
sheet in a white sheet dressed for formally doing penance, originally for fornication.
See also sing from the same hymn sheet, three sheets in the wind. |
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "sheet." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "sheet." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-sheet.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "sheet." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-sheet.html |
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Sheet
Sheet Hants. Syeta c.1210. ‘Projecting piece of land, corner or nook’. OE *scīete.
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A. D. MILLS. "Sheet." A Dictionary of British Place-Names. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. A. D. MILLS. "Sheet." A Dictionary of British Place-Names. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O40-Sheet.html A. D. MILLS. "Sheet." A Dictionary of British Place-Names. 2003. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O40-Sheet.html |
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sheet
sheet
•accrete, beat, beet, bittersweet, bleat, cheat, cleat, clubfeet, compete, compleat, complete, conceit, Crete, deceit, delete, deplete, discreet, discrete, eat, effete, élite, entreat, escheat, estreat, excrete, feat, feet, fleet, gîte, greet, heat, leat, leet, Magritte, maltreat, marguerite, meat, meet, mesquite, mete, mistreat, neat, outcompete, peat, Pete, petite, pleat, receipt, replete, seat, secrete, sheet, skeet, sleet, splay-feet, street, suite, sweet, teat, treat, tweet, wheat
•backbeat • heartbeat • deadbeat
•breakbeat • offbeat • browbeat
•downbeat • drumbeat • upbeat
•sugar beet • Blackfeet • flatfeet
•forefeet • exegete • polychaete
•lorikeet • parakeet
•athlete, biathlete, decathlete, heptathlete, pentathlete, triathlete
•kick-pleat • paraclete • obsolete
•gamete • crabmeat • sweetmeat
•mincemeat • forcemeat • backstreet
•concrete • window seat
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Cite this article
"sheet." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "sheet." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-sheet.html "sheet." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-sheet.html |
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