sheath Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a protective covering (as for a knife or sword)
  2. noun an enveloping structure or covering enclosing an animal or plant organ or part
    case.
  3. noun a dress suitable for formal occasions
    cocktail dress.

WordNet

Sheath noun
Etymology
OE. schethe, AS. sc&aemac;&edh;, sceá&edh;, sce&edh;; akin to OS. ske&edh;ia, D. scheede, G. scheide, OHG. sceida, Sw. skida, Dan. skede, Icel. skei&edh;ir, pl., and to E. shed, v.t., originally meaning, to separate, to part. See Shed.
Definitions
  1. A case for the reception of a sword, hunting knife, or other long and slender instrument; a scabbard.
    The dead knight's sword out of his sheath he drew. Spenser.
  2. Any sheathlike covering, organ, or part. Specifically: (a) (Bot.) The base of a leaf when sheathing or investing a stem or branch, as in grasses. (b) (Zoöl.) One of the elytra of an insect.

Webster 1913