sheathe

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*skey-“to dissect, split”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*skaiþiz“sheath; covering”
3. Proto-West Germanic · inherited from*skaiþiju
4. Old English · inherited fromsċēaþ“sheath”
5. Middle English · inherited fromsheth
6. Old English · inherited from*scēaþian
7. Middle English · inherited fromshethen“to put (a sword or knife) into a sheath, sheathe; to provide with a sheath; (figuratively) to have sexual intercourse”
8. English todaysheathe

From Late Middle English shethen (“to put (a sword or knife) into a sheath, sheathe; to provide with a sheath; (figuratively) to have sexual intercourse”) [and other forms], then: * probably from Old English *scēaþian; or * possibly from Middle English sheth, shethe (“holder for a sword, knife, etc., scabbard, sheath”) [and other forms] + -en (suffix forming the infinitive of verbs). Sheth(e) is derived from Old English sċēaþ (“sheath”), from Proto-West Germanic *skaiþiju, from Proto-Germanic *skaiþiz (“sheath; covering”), from Proto-Indo-European *skey- (“to dissect, split”) (possibly from the notion of a split stick with a sword inserted).

Words from the same roots