sleeve

The story

1. Old English · inherited fromslīef
2. Middle English · inherited fromsleve
3. English todaysleeve

From Middle English sleve, slefe, from Old English slīef and slīefe (“sleeve”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Sleeuwe (“sleeve”), West Frisian slúf, Dutch sloof (“apron”), Low German sluve, dialectal German Schlaube. The Canadian sense of “measure smaller than a pint” is due to a former conflict between federal law and provincial law in British Columbia. According to federal law, a pint must be 20 imperial ounces (~568 ml), but according to provincial law at the time, the maximum individual serving size was 500 ml, so an individual portion could not be called a “pint” in British Columbia, and required a different term. The provincial law has been changed, allowing servings of up to 24 oz (~682 ml), but the term remains in use. The term sleeve itself for a cylindrical glass of beer is also found in the UK and Australia (as sleever), and may be due to stacked glasses resembling a sleeve.

First known use, by meaning

• from 10th c. The part of a garment that covers the arm.
• from 19th c. A (usually tubular) covering or lining to protect a piece of machinery etc.
• from 20th c. A protective jacket or case, especially for a record, containing art and information about the contents; also the analogous leaflet found in a packaged CD.