Meanings
plural shearlings
- A sheep that has been shorn for the first time
They are rarely fattened when shearlings, the usual period being after they have lost their second fleece, and are wethers.
1853, David Low, On the Domesticated Animals of the British Isles, page 97
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
- Middle Englishscherling
- Englishshearling
From Middle English scherling; equivalent to shear + -ling.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
shearling. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shearling
“shearling.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shearling. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “shearling,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shearling.
Source: shearling on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.