Meanings
sheave1
plural sheaves
- A wheel having a groove in the rim for a rope to work in, and set in a block, mast, or similar; the wheel of a pulley.
To an exceptional degree the duties on these inclines have been passed on from father to son; many a boy has begun his working life in oiling the sheaves and, after passing through every grade, has reached the age of retirement in the responsible position of brakesman.
1942 September and October, Charles E. Lee, “The Stanhope & Tyne Railway: II–Self-Acting Inclines”, in Railway Magazine, page 263
sheave2
present singular third person sheaves · participle present sheaving · participle past sheaved · past sheaved
- To gather and bind into a sheaf.
From him did forty million serfs (...) receive Rich freeborn lifelong land, whereon to sheave Their country's harvest.
Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Czar Alexander the Second, lines 1-4
Origin
sheave · noun
- Proto-Indo-European*skey-“to split”
- Englishsheave
From Middle English, from a Germanic base akin to German Scheibe, late Old Norse skífa (“slice”), all ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *skey- (“to split”). For more see shive.
More words from Proto-Indo-European
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian ролка с канал, събирам на снопи
- ролка с канал (rolka s kanal)wheel having a groove
- събирам на снопи (săbiram na snopi)to bind into a bundle
Catalan feixar
- feixarto bind into a bundle
Czech lanovnice
- lanovnicewheel having a groove
Dutch katrolschijf
- katrolschijfwheel having a groove
French réa
- réawheel having a groove
German Scheibe, Laufrolle
- Scheibewheel having a groove
- Laufrollewheel having a groove
- Seilscheibewheel having a groove
- Umlenkrollewheel having a groove
- Rollewheel having a groove
- bündelnto bind into a bundle
Hungarian báláz, kévéz
- bálázto bind into a bundle
- kévézto bind into a bundle
- kötegelto bind into a bundle
Irish síobh
- síobhwheel having a groove
Korean 도르래 바퀴
- 도르래 바퀴 (doreurae bakwi)wheel having a groove
Māori herepū
- herepūto bind into a bundle
Portuguese roldana
- roldanawheel having a groove
Russian ро́лик, шкив
- ро́лик (rólik)wheel having a groove
- шкив (škiv)wheel having a groove
Spanish roldana
- roldanawheel having a groove
Turkish kasnak
- kasnakwheel having a groove
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with sheave
Anagrams
Cite this entry
sheave. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sheave
“sheave.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sheave. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sheave,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sheave.
Source: sheave on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.