3. She is used also as a prefix for female; as, a she-bear; a she-cat. A she-angel.' Shak Shea (she'a), n. The Bassia butyracea of botanists, a native of tropical Asia and Africa, and believed to be the fulwa or fulwara tree of India. The African shea tree (B. Parkii) resembles the laurel in the shape and colour of its leaves, but grows to the height of 30 or 40 feet. The trunk yields when pierced a copious milky juice. The shea or vegetable butter is found in the nut, and is obtained pure by crushing, boiling, and straining. The nuts grow in bunches, and are attached to the boughs by slender filaments. They are of the shape and size of a pigeon's egg, of a light drab when new, but the colour deepens afterwards to that of chocolate. A good-sized tree in prolific condition will yield a bushel of nuts. Called also Butter-tree. See BASSIA. Sheading (shed'ing), n. [A. Sax. sceadan, Goth. skaidan, D. and G. scheiden, to divide; akin shed, as in watershed.] In the Isle of Man, a riding, tithing, or division, in which there is a coroner or chief constable. The isle is divided into six sheadings. Sheaf (shef), n. pl. Sheaves (shēvz). [A. Sax. sceaf, a sheaf, a bundle, as of arrows; L.G. skof, schof, D. schoof, Icel. skauf, G. schaub. The root is that of shove, A. Sax. scúfan, to shove, thrust, push.] 1. A quantity of the stalks of wheat, rye, oats, or barley bound together; a bundle of stalks or straw. The reaper fills his greedy hands And binds the golden sheaves in brittle bands. Dryden. 2. Any bundle or collection; specifically, twenty-four arrows, or as many as fill the quiver. 'Farewell!' she said, and vanished from the place; The sheaf of arrows shook and rattled in the case. Dryden. Sheaf (shef), n. The wheel in the block of a pulley; a sheave. See SHEAVE. Sheaf (shef), v. t. make sheaves of. Sheaf (shef), v.i. To collect and bind; to To make sheaves. They that reap, must sheaf and bind. Shak. Sheafy (shef'i), a. Pertaining to, consisting of, or resembling sheaves. Gray. Sheal (shel), n. [A form of shell.] A husk or pod. [Old and provincial.] Sheal (shel), v. t. To take the husks or pods off; to shell. 'That's a shealed peascod.' Shak. [Old and Provincial.] Sheal (shel), n. [A Scotch word: Icel. skáli, N. skaale, a hut or shed, from root of shelter, shield.] 1. A hut or small cottage for shepherds, or for fishermen on the shore or on the banks of rivers; a shealing.-2. A shed for sheltering sheep on the hills during the night.-3. A summer residence, especially one erected for those who go to the hills for sport, &c. Written also Sheel, Sheil. Shealing (shel'ing), n. The outer shell, pod, or husk of pease, oats, and the like. [Provincial.] Shealing (shel'ing), n. Same as Sheal. Written also Sheeling, Sheiling. [Scotch.] They were considered in some measure as proprietors of the wretched shealings which they inhabited. Sir W. Scott. Shear (sher), v. t. pret. sheared and shore; pp. sheared or shorn; ppr. shearing. [O.E.schere, shere, A. Sax. sceran, to shear, shave, share, divide; L.G. scheren, D. scheeren, to sheer, cut, clip, sheer off; Icel. skera, to cut, carve, reap, slaughter; Dan. skäre, to cut or carve; G. scheren, to shear, shave, cheat. From a root skar, which appears without the initial s in Gr. keiro, Skr. kar, to cut. Akin share, sheer, shire, shore, sharp, short, scaur.] 1. To cut or clip something from with an instrument of two blades; to separate anything from by shears, scissors, or a like instrument; as, to shear sheep; to shear cloth. It is appropriately used for the cutting of wool from sheep or their skins, and for clipping the nap from cloth.-2. To separate by shears; to cut or clip from a surface; as, to shear a fleece. But she, the wan sweet maiden, shore away Clean from her forehead all that wealth of hair. Tennyson. 3. Fig. to strip of property, as by severe 56 exaction or excessive sharpness in bargaining; to fleece. In his speculation he had gone out to shear, and come home shorn. Mrs. Riddell. 4. [Old English and Scotch.] To cut down, as with a sickle; to reap. Shear (sher), v. by cutting. 1. To cut; to penetrate Many a deep glance, and often with unspeakable precision, has he cast into mysterious Nature, and the still more mysterious Life of Man. Wonderful it is with what cutting words, now and then, he severs asunder the confusion; shears down, were it furlongs deep, into the true centre of the matter: and there not only hits the nail on the head, but with crushing force smites it home, and buries it. Carlyle. 2. To turn aside; to deviate; to sheer. See SHEER. Shear (sher), n. 1. An instrument to cut with. Chaucer. [Now exclusively used in the plural. See SHEARS 1-2. A year as applied to the age of a sheep, denominated from the yearly shearing; as, sheep of one shear, of two shears, &c. [Local.] Shear-bill (shërbil), n. A bird, the black skimmer or cut-water (Rhyncops nigra). See SKIMMER. Sheard (sherd), n. A shard. See SHARD. Shearer (sher'èr), n. 1. One that shears; as, a shearer of sheep.-2. In Scotland, one that reaps corn with a sickle; a reaper. Shear-hulk (shér hulk), n. Same as Sheerhulk. Shearing (shering), n. 1. The act or operation of clipping or shearing by shears or by a machine; as, the shearing of metallic plates and bars; the shearing of the wool from sheep, or the pile, nap, or fluff from cloth.-2. The proceeds of the operation of clipping by shears; as, the whole shearing of a flock; the shearings from cloth.-3. Ă sheep that has been but once sheared; a shearling. Youatt.-4. The act or operation of reaping. [Scotch.]-5. In mining, the making of vertical cuts at the ends of a portion of an undercut seam of coal, serving to destroy the continuity of the strata and facilitate the breaking down of the mass. Shearing-machine (sher'ing-ma-shën), n. 1. A machine used for cutting plates and bars of iron and other metals.-2. A machine for shearing cloth, &c. Shearling (sher ling), n. been but once sheared. Shearman (sher'man), n. pation is to shear cloth. Shears (sherz), n. pl. A sheep that has One whose occuShak. [From the verb.] 1. An instrument consisting of two movable blades with bevel edges, used for cutting cloth and other substances by interception between the two blades. Shears differ from scissors chiefly in being larger, and they vary in form according to the different operations they are called on to perform. The shears used by farriers, sheepshearers, weavers, &c., are made of a single piece of steel, bent round until the blades meet, which open of themselves by the elasticity of the metal. 2. Something in the form of the blades of shears; as, (a)† a pair of wings. Spenser. (b) An apparatus for raising heavy weights. See SHEERS. 3. The ways or track of a lathe, upon which the lathe head, poppet head, and rest are placed. Shear-steel (sher'stel), n. [So called from its applicability to the manufacture of cutting instruments, shears, knives, scythes, &c.] A kind of steel prepared by laying several bars of common steel together, and heating them in a furnace until they acquire the welding temperature. The bars are then beaten together and drawn out. The process may be repeated. — Single shear-steel and double shear-steel are terms indicating the extent to which the process has been carried. Shear-tail (sher'tal), n. A name given to some species of humming-birds; as, the slender shear-tail (Thaumastura enicura) and Cora's shear-tail (Thaumastura Cora); so called on account of their long and deeply-forked tail. Shear-water (sher'wa-ter), n. The name of several marine birds of the genus Puffinus, belonging to the petrel family, differing from the true petrels chiefly in having the tip of the lower mandible curved downward and the nostrils having separate openings. P. cinereus (the greater shear-water) is about 18 inches long. It is found on the south-west coasts of England and Wales. The Manx or common shear-water (P. anglorum) is somewhat less in size, but is more common on the British coasts. It occurs also in more northern regions. There are SHEATHY several other species. The shear-waters fly rapidly, skimming over the waves, whence they pick up small fishes, crustaceans, mol Manx Shear-water (P. anglorum). luscs, &c. The name is sometimes given to the skimmer (Rhynchops nigra). Sheat-fish (shet'fish), n. [G. scheid, schaid, schaidfisch.] One of the fishes of the family Siluride (which see). Sheath (sheth), n. [A. Sax. scceth, sceath, D. and L.G. schede, Dan. skede, Icel akithi, skeithir (pl.), G. scheide, a sheath; generally in referred to same root as shed, A. Sax. sceddan, to divide.] 1. A case for the reception of a sword or other long and slender instrument; a scabbard.-2. Any somewhat similar covering; as, (a) in bot. a term applied to a petiole when it embraces the branch from which it springs, as grasses; or to a rudimentary leaf which wraps round the stem on which it grows, as in the scape of many endogenous plants. The cut shows part of the stem of a grass (Anthoxanthum Puelii) a, Sheath. with sheath a. (b) The wingcase of an insect.-3. A structure of loose stones for confining a river within its banks. Sheath (sheth), v. t. To furnish with a sheath. Sheath-bill (sheth'bil), n. See CHIONIDE Sheath claw (sheth'kla), n. A kind of lizard of the genus Thecadactylus. It is allied to the gecko, and in Jamaica is commonly called the croaking lizard, from its curious call on the approach of night. Sheathe (sheTH), v. t. pret. & pp. sheathed; ppr. sheathing. [From the noun, like Icel skeitha, to sheathe.] 1. To put into a sheath or scabbard; to inclose, cover, or hide with a sheath or case, or as with a sheath or case; as, to sheathe a sword or dagger. The leopard... keeps the claws of his fore-feet turned up from the ground, and sheathed in the skin of his toes. N. Grew. 'Tis in my breast she sheathes her dagger now, Dryden. 2. To cover up; to hide. Her eyes, like marigolds, had sheathed their light. Shak 3. To take away sharpness or acridness from; to obviate the acridity of; to obtund or blunt. They blunt or sheathe those sharp salts. Arbuthnot.-4. To protect by a casing or covering; to case or cover, as with boards, iron, or sheets of copper; as, to sheathe a ship. It were to be wished, that the whole navy throughout were sheathed as some are. Raleigh. -To sheathe the sword (fig.), to put an end to war or enmity; to make peace. It corresponds to the Indian phrase, to bury the hatchet. Sheathed (shëтнd), p. and a. 1. Put in a sheath; inclosed or covered with a case; covered; lined; invested with a membrane. 2. In bot. vaginate; invested by a sheath or cylindrical membranous tube, which is the base of the leaf, as the stalk or culm in grasses. Sheather (sheTH'êr), n. One who sheathes. Sheathing (sheTH'ing), n. 1. The act of one who sheathes.-2. That which sheathes; especially, a covering, usually thin plates of copper or an alloy containing copper, to protect a wooden ship's bottom from worms. 3. The material with which ships are sheathed; as, copper sheathing. Sheathing-nail (sheTH'ing-nal), n. A castnail of an alloy of copper and tin, used for nailing on the metallic sheathing of ships. Sheathless (shëthles), a. Without a sheath or case for covering; unsheathed. Sheath-winged (sheth'wingd), a. Having cases for covering the wings; coleopterous; as, a sheath-winged insect. Sheathy (sheth'i), a. Forming or resembling a sheath or case. Sir T. Browne. SHEAVE Sheave (shev), n. [O. D. schijve, Mod. D. schijf, G. scheibe, a round slice, a disc. See SHIVE, which is a slightly different form of this word.] 1. A grooved wheel in a block, mast, yard, &c., on which a rope works; the wheel of a pulley; a shiver.-2. A sliding scutcheon for covering a keyhole. Sheave (shev), v.t. To bring together into sheaves; to collect into a sheaf or into sheaves Sheaved (shēvd), a. Made of straw. Shak. Sheave-hole (shev'hōl), n. A channel cut in a mast, yard, or other timber, in which to fix a sheave. Shebander (sheb'an-der), n. A Dutch East India commercial officer. Shebeen (shë-ben), n. [Probably an Irish term.] An unlicensed house of a low character where excisable liquors are sold illegally. Shebeener (shë-bën'ér), n. One who keeps a shebeen. Shebeening (she-ben'ing), n. The act or practice of keeping a shebeen; as, she was fined for shebeening. Shechinah (she-kina), n. [Heb. shekinah, And happy constellations on that hour Shak. Milton. 4. To cause to flow off without penetrating; as, a roof or a covering of oiled cloth, or the like, is said to shed water.-5. To sprinkle; to intersperse. Her hair... is shed with gray. B. Jonson. [Rare.] Shed (shed), v.i. To let fall seed, a covering or envelope, &c. White oats are apt to shed most as they lie, and black as they stand. Mortimer. Shed (shed), n. The act of shedding, or causing to flow: used only in composition; as, bloodshed. Shed (shed), n. [O.E. shodde, shudde, Prov. E. shod, shud, a hut, a hovel, probably from a root meaning to defend or protect; comp. Sw.skydd, a defence, skydda, to defend; Dan. skytte, to protect, to shelter; G. schützen, to defend. Or the original meaning may have been a sloping roof or penthouse to shed off the rain.] 1. A slight or temporary building; a penthouse or covering of boards, &c., for shelter; a poor house or hovel; a hut; an outhouse. The first Aletes born in lowly shed. Fairfax. Here various kinds, by various fortunes led, Commence acquaintance underneath a shed. Shak. 2. A large open structure for the temporary storage of goods, &c.; as, a shed on a wharf; a railway shed. Shed (shed), v.t. [A. Sax. sceadan, D. and G. scheiden, Goth. skaidan-to separate, to divide, from same root as L. scindo, Gr.schizo, to cleave. Hence sheading. See also the other SHED, v.t.] To separate; to divide; to part; as, to shed the hair. [Provincial English and Scotch.] Shed (shed), n. [An old term, but in meaning 1 now only provincial, more especially Scotch. See SHED, to separate.] 1. A division; a parting; as, the shed of the hair; the water-shed of a district.-2. In weaving, the interstice between the different parts of the warp of a loom through which the shuttle passes-3. The slope of a hill. Shedder (shed'ér), n. One who sheds or causes to flow out; as, a shedder of blood. Ezek. xviii. 10. Shedding (shed'ing), n. 1. The act of one that sheds.-2. That which is shed or cast off. 57 Shed-line (shed'lin), n. The summit line of elevated ground; the line of the watershed. Shed-roof (shed'röf), n. The simplest kind of roof, formed by rafters sloping between a high and a low wall. Called also a Pent-roof. Sheel (shel), v.t. To free from husks, &c.; to sheal. [Scotch.] Sheel, Sheeling (shel, shel'ing), n. Same as Shealing (which see). Sheeling-hill (shel'ing-hil), n. A knoll near a mill, where the shelled oats were formerly winnowed in order to free them from the husks. [Scotch.] Sheen (shen), a. [A.Sax. seine, scene, bright, clear, beautiful. From root of shine (which see).] Bright; shining; glittering; showy. 'By fountain clear, or spangled starlight sheen.' Shak. [Poetical] Sheen (shen), n. Brightness; splendour. The sheen of their spears was like stars on the sea. Byron. Sheen (shen), v.i. To shine; to glisten. [Poetical and rare.] This town, That, sheening far, celestial seems to be. Byron. Sheenly (shen'li), adv. Brightly. Browning. Sheeny (shen'i), a. Bright; glittering; shining; fair. Sheeny heaven. Milton. The sheeny summer morn.' Tennyson. [Poetical.] Sheep (shep), n. sing. and pl. [A.Sax. sceap, scep, L.G. and D. schaap, G. schaf, a sheep. The word is not found in Scandinavian, and the origin is uncertain. It has been referred to Bohem. skopec, a wether, lit. a castrated sheep, and Diez recognizes a like connection between Fr. mouton and L. mutilus, mutilated. The common word for mutton in Italy is castrato.] 1. A ruminant animal of the genus Ovis, family Capride, nearly allied to the goat, and which is among the most useful species of animals to man, as its wool constitutes a principal material of warm clothing, and its flesh is a great ar ticle of food. The skin is made into leather, which is used for various purposes. The entrails, properly prepared and twisted, serve for strings for various musical instruments. The milk is thicker than that of cows, and consequently yields a greater relative quantity of butter and cheese. The sheep is remarkable for its harmless temper and its timidity. The varieties of the domestic sheep (Ovis aries) are numerous, but it is not certainly known from what wild species these were originally derived. Some at any rate of the domesticated breeds, more especially the smaller short-tailed breeds, with crescent-shaped horns, appear to be de scended from the wild species known as the Mouflon (which see). The principal varieties of the English sheep are the large Leicester, the Cotswold, the South-down, the Cheviot, and the blackfaced breeds. The Leicester comes early to maturity, attains a great size, has a fine full form, and carries more mutton, though not of finest quality, in the same apparent dimensions, than any other; wool not so long as in some, but considerably finer-weight of fleece 7 to 8 lbs. The Cotswolds have been improved by crossing with Leicesters. Their wool is fine, and mutton fine-grained and full-sized. Southdowns have wool short, close, and curled; and their mutton is highly valued for its flavour. They attain a great size, the quarter often weighing 25 to 30 lbs., and sometimes reaching to 40 or 50. All the preceding require a good climate and rich pasture. The Cheviot is much hardier than any of the preceding, and is well adapted for the green, grassy hills of Highland districts. Broad-tailed Sheep (Ovis laticauda). The wool is short, thick, and fine. They possess good fattening qualities, and yield excellent mutton. The black-faced is hardi SHEEPISHNESS est of all, and adapted for wild heathery hills and moors. Its wool is long but coarse, but its mutton is the very finest. The Welsh resembles the black-faced, but is less. Its mutton, too, is delicious, but its fleece weighs only about 2 lbs. The foreign breeds of sheep are exceedingly numerous, some of the more remarkable species being (a) the broad-tailed sheep (Ovis laticauda), common in Asia and Egypt, and remarkable for its large heavy tail, often so loaded with a mass of fat as to weigh from 70 to 80 lbs.; (b) the Iceland sheep, remarkable for having three, four, or five horns; (c) the fatrumped sheep of Tartary, with an accumulation of fat on the rump, which, falling down in two great masses behind, often en1 tirely conceals the tail; (d) the Astrakhan or Bucharian sheep, with the wool twisted in spiral curls, and of very fine quality; (e) the Wallachian or Cretan sheep, with very large, long, and spiral horns, those of the males being upright and those of the females at right angles to the head. The Rocky Moun tain sheep, or bighorn, is the only species native of the New World. See BIGHORN, and also MERINO, ARGALI-2. In contempt, a silly fellow.-3. Fig. God's people, as being under the government and protection of Christ, the great Shepherd. John x. 11.4. A congregation considered as under a spiritual shepherd or pastor. More usually termed a flock. A small tree Sheep-berry (shëp'be-ri), n. of the genus Viburnum (V. Lentago), nat. order Caprifoliaceae, yielding an edible fruit. It is a native of North America, and has been introduced as an ornamental tree into British gardens. Sheep-bite + (shep'bit), v.i. To nibble like a sheep; hence, to practise petty thefts. Sheep-bitert (shep'bit-ér), n. One who practises petty thefts. The niggardly, rascally sheep-biter.' Shak. There are political sheep-biters as well as pastoral: betrayers of public trusts as well as of private. Sir R. L'Estrange. Sheepcot, Sheepcote (shep'kot), n. 1. A small inclosure for sheep; a pen.-2. The cottage of a shepherd. Shak. Sheep-dip (shep'dip), n. A sheep-wash (which see). A dog for tendSheep-dog (shep'dog), n. Sheep-faced (shep'fast), a. ing sheep; a collie (which see). Sheepfold (shep'föld), n. bashful. Sheepish; A fold or pen for sheep. Sheepheaded (shep-hed 'ed). a. Dull; simple-minded; silly. Simple, sheepheaded fools.' John Taylor. Sheephook (shep'hök). n. A hook fastened to a pole, by which shepherds lay hold on the legs of their sheep; a shepherd's crook. Shak. Thou a sceptre's heir, That thus affect'st a sheephook! Sheepish (shep'ish), a. 1. Pertaining to sheep. How to excell in sheepish surgery.' Stafford.-2. Like a sheep; bashful; timorous to excess; over-modest; meanly diffident. Wanting change of company, he will, when he comes abroad, be a sheepish or conceited creature. Locke. Sheepishly (shep'ish-li), adv. In a sheepish manner; bashfully; with mean timidity or diffidence. Sheepishness (shep'ish-nes), n. The quality of being sheepish; bashfulness; exces SHEEP-LAUREL sive modesty or diffidence; mean timorous ness. Locke. Sheepishness and ignorance of the world are not consequences of being bred at home. A small Sheep-laurel (shep'la-rel), n. North American evergreen shrub of the genus Kalmia (K. angustifolia), nat. order Ericaceae. Like many other plants of the heathwort order, it has been introduced into our gardens, and is deservedly a favourite. It has received this name, as well as that of Lambkill, from its leaves and shoots being deleterious to cattle. Sheep-louse (shep'lous), n. Same as Sheeptick. A place Sheep-market (shep'mär-ket), n. where sheep are sold. Sheep-master (shep'mas-ter), n. owner of sheep. An Bacon. I knew a nobleman in England that had the greatest audits of any man in my time; a great grazier, a great sheep-master, a great timber man, &c. Sheep-pen (shep'pen), n. An inclosure for sheep; a sheepfold. Sheep-run (shep'run), n. A large tract of grazing country fit for pasturing sheep. A sheep-run is properly more extensive than a sheep-walk. It seems to have been originally an Australian term. Sheep's-bane (sheps'ban), n. A name given to the common pennywort (Hydrocotyle vulgaris), because it was considered a fruitful cause of rot in sheep. A name Sheep's-beard (sheps'berd), n. common to all the species of composite plants of the genus Tragopogon. Sheep's-bit (sheps' bit), n. A plant of the genus Jasione, the J. montana. JASIONE. See Sheep's-eye (sheps'i), n. A modest, diffident look; a wishful glance; a leer. Those (eyes) of an amorous, roguish look derive their title even from the sheep: and we say such an one has a sheep's-eye, not so much to denote the innocence as the simple slyness of the cast. Spectator. -To cast a sheep's-eye, to direct a wishful or leering glance. For your sanctified look I'm afraid That you cast a sheep's-eye on my ladyship's maid. Swift. Naut. a Sheep-shank (shep'shangk), n. kind of knot or hitch, or bend, made on a rope to shorten it temporarily. Sheep's-head (shepshed), n. A fish (Sparus ovis) caught on the shores of Connecticut and of Long Island, so called from the resemblance of its head to that of a sheep. It is allied to the gilthead and bream, and esteemed delicious food. Sheep-shearer (shep'sher-ér), n. shears or cuts off the wool from sheep. Gen. xxxviii. 12. 1. The One that Sheep-shearing (shep'sher-ing), n. act of shearing sheep. - 2. The time of shearing sheep; also, a feast made on that occasion. I must go buy spices for our sheep-shearing. Shak. 1. A sum of Sheep-silver (shep'sil-ver), n. money anciently paid by tenants to be released from the service of washing the lord's sheep.-2. The Scotch popular name of mica. Sheep-skin (shep'skin), n. 1. The skin of a sheep, or leather prepared from it.-2. A diploma, so named because commonly engraved on parchment prepared from the skin of the sheep. [Colloq.] Sheep-split (shep'split), n. The skin of a sheep split by a knife or machine into two sections. Sheep's-sorrel (sheps'sor-el), n. (Rumex Aceto sella), growing naturally on poor, dry, gravelly soil. Sheep stealer (shep'stel-ér), n. One that steals sheep. Sheep-stealing (shep'stel-ing),n. The act of stealing sheep. Sheep- tick (shep' tik), n. The Melophagus ovinus, a well An herb known dipter- Sheep-tick (natural size and ous insect bemagnified). longing to the family Hippoboscidæ, extremely common in pasture-grounds about the commencement of summer. The pupa laid by the female 58 are shining oval bodies, like the pips of small apples, which are to be seen attached by the pointed end to the wool of the sheep. From these issue the tick, which is horny, bristly, and of a rusty ochre-colour, and destitute of wings. It fixes its head in the skin of the sheep, and extracts the blood, leaving a large round tumour. Called also Sheep-louse. A pasture for Sheep-walk (shep'wak), n. sheep; a tract of some extent where sheep feed. See SHEEP-RUN. A wash or Sheep-wash (shep'wosh), n. smearing substance applied to the fleece or skin of sheep either to kill vermin or to preserve the wool. Sheep-whistling (shep - whis'ling), a. Whistling after sheep; tending sheep. An old sheep-whistling rogue, a ram-tender.' Shak. Sheepy (shep'i), a. Pertaining to or resembling sheep; sheepish. Chaucer. Sheer (sher), a. [A. Sax. scir, pure, clear, bright, glorious; Icel. skirr, skærr, bright, clear, pure, skýrr, clear, evident; Goth. skeirs, beautiful, clear, evident; G. schier, free from knots; probably from root of shine. In meaning 4, however, the root is no doubt that of shear, A. Sax. sceran, to cut, to divide, and this word might even explain the senses given under 2. Comp. downright, and Sc. 'even down' in such phrases as 'even down nonsense," 'the even down truth.'] 1. Pure; clear; separate from anything foreign. 'Thou sheer immaculate and silver fountain. Shak.-2. Being only what it seems to be; unmingled; simple; mere; downright; as, sheer falsehood, sheer ignorance, sheer stupidity, &c. Here is a necessity, on the one side, that I should do that which, on the other side, it appears to be a sheer impossibility that I should even attempt. De Quincey. 3. Applied to very thin fabrics of cotton or muslin; as, sheer muslin.-4. Straight up and down; perpendicular; precipitous. A sheer precipice of a thousand feet.' J. D. Hooker. Sheert (sher), v.t. To shear. Dryden. Sheer (sher), v. i. [A form of shear.] To decline or deviate from the line of the proper course; to slip or move aside; as, a ship sheers from her course. To sheer along. side, to come gently alongside any object. -To sheer off, to turn or move aside to a distance; to part or separate from; to move off or away.-To sheer up, to turn and approach to a place or ship. Sheer (sher), . 1. The curve which the line of ports or of the deck presents to the eye when viewing the side of a ship. When these lines are straight or the extremities do not rise, as is most usual, the ship is said to have a straight sheer.-To quicken the sheer, in ship-building, to shorten the radius which strikes out the curve. To straighten the sheer, to lengthen the radius.-2. The position in which a ship is sometimes kept at single anchor to keep her clear of it.-To break sheer, to deviate from that position. 3. The sheer-strake of a vessel. Sheer-batten (sher'bat-n), n. 1. Naut. a batten stretched horizontally along the shrouds and seized firmly above each of their dead-eyes, serving to prevent the dead-eyes from turning at that part. Also termed a Stretcher.-2. In ship-building, a strip nailed to the ribs to indicate the position of the wales or bends preparatory to those planks being bolted on. Sheer-draught (sher'dräft), n. building, the plan of elevation of a ship; a sheer-plan. In ship Sheer-hooks (sher' höks). n. An instrument with prongs and hooks placed at the Sheer-hooks. extremities of the yards of fire-ships to entangle the enemy's rigging, &c. An old wornSheer-hulk (sher'hulk), n. Sheers (sherz), n. pl. A kind of hoisting apparatus used in masting or dismasting ships, putting in or taking out boilers, mounting or dismounting guns, &c., and consisting of two or more pieces of timber or poles erected in a mutually inclined position, and fastened together near the top, their lower ends being separated to form an extended base. The legs are steadied by guys, and from the top depends the necessary tackle for hoisting. Permanent sheers, in dockyards, &c., are sloped together at the top, and crowned with an iron cap bolted thereto. They are now usually mounted on a wharf, but were formerly placed on an old ship called a sheer-hulk The apparatus is named from its resemblance, in form, to a cutting shears. Sheer-strake (sher'strak), n. In ship-building, the strake under the gunwale in the Called also Paint-strake. top-side. STRAKE. Sheer-water (sher'wa-tér), n. Same as Shearwater. Sheet (shet), n. [A. Sax. scête, a sheet, a flap or loose portion of a garment, also sceat, corner, part, region, covering, sheet, sceata, scyte, the lower part of a sail, a sheet, all from sceótan, to shoot, dart, cast. extend; sceat corresponds to Icel. skaut, the corner of a piece of cloth, a skirt, the sheet of a sail; Goth. skauts, a border, a hem. (See SHOOT.) The root-meaning therefore is something shot out or extended.] 1. A broad, large, thin piece of anything, as paper, linen, iron, lead, glass, &c.; specifically, (a) a broad and large piece of cloth, as of linen or cotton, used as part of the furniture of a bed. (b) A broad piece of paper, either unfolded as it comes from the manufacturer, or folded into pages; the quantity or piece of paper which receives the peculiar folding for being bound in a book, or for common use as writing paper. Sheets of paper are of different sizes, as royal, demy, foolscap, &c. (c) pl. A book or pamphlet. To this the following sheets are intended for a full and distinct answer. Waterland. (d) A sail. [Poetical.] Fierce Boreas drove against his flying sails, 2. Anything expanded; a broad expanse or SHEET most one is called a tack. When a ship sails with a side-wind the lower corners of the main and fore sails are fastened with a tack and a sheet. The stay-sails and studdingsails have only one tack and one sheet each. -A sheet in the wind, somewhat tipsy. [Colloq.] Though S. might be a thought tipsy-a sheet or so w the and he was not more tipsy than was customary with him. Trollope. -Three sheets in the wind,tipsy; intoxicated. [Colloq )-In sheets, lying flat or expanded; not folded, or folded but not bound: said especially of printed pages. -Sheet is often used in composition to denote that the substance to the name of which it is prefixed is in the form of sheets or thin plates; as, sheetlead, sheet-glass, &c. Sheet (shet), v. t. 1. To furnish with sheets. 2 To fold in a sheet; to shroud. 'The sheeted dead.' Shak.-3. To cover, as with a sheet; to cover with something broad and thin. Shak. Like the stag, when snow the pasture sheets, The bark of trees thou browsed'st. -To sheet home (naut), to haul home a sheet or extend the sail till the clue is close to the sheet-block. Sheet-anchor (shët'ang-kêr), n. [Originally written Shote-anchor, that is, the anchor shot, or thrown out for security or preservation] 1. The largest anchor of a ship, which is shot out in extreme danger. Hence 2 Fig. the chief support; the last refuge for safety; as, he dabbled in literature, but law was his sheet-anchor. Sheet-cable (shět'kā-bl), n. The cable attached to the sheet-anchor, which is the strongest and best in the ship. Sheet-copper (shet'kop-pèr), n. Copper in broad thin plates. Sheetful (shet'ful), n. As much as a sheet contains; enough to fill a sheet. Sheet-glass (shet'glas), n. A kind of crownglass made at first in the form of a cylinder, which is cut longitudinally and placed in a furnace, where it opens out into a sheet under the influence of heat. Sheeting (shet ́ing), n. 1. Cloth for sheets. 2. A lining of timber or metal for protection of a river bank. Sheeting - pile (shët'ing-pil), n. Same as Sheet-pile. Sheet-iron (shēt'ï-èrn), n. Iron in sheets or broad thin plates. Sheet-lead (shët'led), n. Lead formed into sheets Sheet-lightning (shēt'lit-ning), n. Lightning appearing in wide expanded flashes, as opposed to forked lightning. Like sheetlightning, ever brightening. Tennyson. Sheet pile (shët'pil), n. A pile, generally formed of thick plank, shot or jointed on the edge, and sometimes grooved and tongued, driven between the main or gauge piles of a cofferdam or other hydraulic work, to inclose the space either to retain or exclude water, as the case may be. Shefe,t. A sheaf; a bundle; a sheaf of arrows Chaucer. Sheik (shek or shak), n. [Ar., an old man, an elder.] A title of dignity properly belonging to the chiefs of the Arabic tribes or clans. The heads of monasteries are sometimes called sheiks among the Mohammedans, and it is also the title of the higher order of religious persons who preach in the mosques. The sheik-ul-Islam is the chief mufti at Constantinople. The name is now widely used among Moslems as a title of respect or re verence. Sheil, Sheiling (shel, shël'ing), n. Same as Shealing. Sheildrake (shel'drak), n. Same as Sheldrake Shekarry (shë-kari), n. A name given in Hindustan to a hunter. Same as Shikaree. Shekel (shek'el), n. [Heb., from shakal, to weigh] An ancient weight and coin among the Jews and other nations of the same stock Dr. Arbuthnot makes the weight to have been equal to 9 dwts. 2 grs. Troy weight, and the value 28. 34d. sterling, others make its value 2s. 6d. sterling. The golden shekel was worth £1, 168. 6d. sterling. The shekel of the sanctuary was used in calculating the offerings of the temple, and all suis connected with the sacred law. It differed from the common shekel, and is supposed to have been double its value. Shekinah (shë-ki'na), n. See SHECHINAH. Sheld (sheld), a. Speckled; piebald. [Local.] Sheld, A shield. Chaucer. 59 Sheldafle, Sheldaple (sheld'a-fl, sheld'a-pl), n. A chaffinch. Also written Shell-apple. Shelde, n. A French crown, so called from having on one side the figure of a shield. Chaucer. Sheldrake, Shieldrake (shel'drāk, shel'drāk), n. [O.E. sheld, a shield, and drake; Icel. skjöldungr, from skjöldr, a shield. There is a somewhat shield-shaped chestnut patch on the breast. But it is not certain that this is the origin of some of the forms of the name; thus the Orkney names skeel-duck, skeelgoose, and sly-goose, lead to Icel. skilja, to discriminate, to understand; Sc. skeely, wise; E. skill.] A name given to two species of British ducks, namely, the common sheldrake (Tadorna vulpanser or Anas tadorna) and the ruddy sheldrake (Casarka rutila). They are handsome birds, and remarkable for the singular construction of the windpipe, which is expanded just at the junction of the two bronchial tubes into two very thin horny globes. They are sometimes called burrow-ducks, from their habit of making their nests in rabbit-burrows in sandy soil. Also written Shelldrake, Sheil drake. Shelduck (shel'duk), n. The female of the sheldrake. See SHELDRAKE. Shelf (shelf), n. pl. Shelves (shelvz). [A. Sax. scelfe, scylfe, a shelf; Icel. skjálf, a bench; Sc. skelf, a shelf, skelb, skelve, a splinter, a thin slice, skelve, to separate in laminæ. The root is probably that of shell, shale, scale.] 1. A board or platform of boards elevated above the floor, and fixed horizontally to a wall or on a frame apart, for holding vessels, books, and the like; a ledge.2. A rock or ledge of rocks in the sea, rendering the water shallow and dangerous to ships; a shoal or sandbank. On the tawny sands and shelves.' Milton. God wisheth none should wreck on a strange shelf. B. Jonson. 3. A projecting layer of rock on land; a stratum lying horizontal.-4. In ship-building, an inner timber following the sheer of the vessel and bolted to the inner side of ribs, to strengthen the frame and sustain the deck-beams.-To put or lay on the shelf. to put aside or out of use; to lay aside, as from duty or active service. Shelf (shelf), v. t. To place on a shelf; to furnish with shelves. More usually written Shelve (which see). Shelfy (shelf'i), a. Full of shelves; (a) abounding with sandbanks or rocks lying near the surface of the water, and rendering navigation dangerous; as, a shelfy coast. (b) Full of strata of rock; having rocky ledges cropping up 'So shelfy that the corn hath much ado to fasten its root.' Rich. Carew. Shell (shel), n. [A. Sax. scel, scell, Icel. skel, D. schel, G. schale, husk, shell, peel; Goth. skalja, a tile; same root as shale, scale, skill; A. Sax. scylan, Icel. skilja, to separate. See SCALE.] 1. A hard outside covering, particularly that serving as the natural protection of certain plants and animals; as, (a) the covering or outside part of a nut. (b) The hard organized substance forming the skeleton of many invertebrate animals, which is usually external, as in most molluscs, as the clam, the snail, and the like; but sometimes internal, as in some cephalopodous molluscs, like the Spirula. (c) The hard covering of some vertebrates, as the armadillo, tortoise, and the like; a carapace. (d) The covering or outside layer of an egg.-2. Any framework or exterior structure regarded as not being completed or filled in; as, the shell of a house. 3. Any slight hollow structure or vessel incapable of sustaining rough handling; as, that boat is a mere shell.-4. A kind of rough coffin; or a thin interior coffin inclosed by the more substantial one.-5. Outward show without inward substance. 'This outward shell of religion.' Ayliffe.-6. The outer portion or casing of a block which is mortised for the sheave, and bored at right angles to the mortise for the pin, which forms the axle of the sheave.-7. The outside plates of a boiler.-8. A musical instrument such as a lyre, the first lyre being made, according to classic legend, of strings drawn over a tortoise-shell. 'When Jubal struck the corded shell.' Dryden.-9. An engraved copper roller used in calico print-works. 10. A hollow projectile containing a bursting charge, which is exploded by a time or percussion fuse. Shells are usually made of cast-iron or steel, and for mortars or smoothbore cannon are spherical, but for rifled SHELL-WORK ordnance they are, with a few notable exceptions, made cylindrical with a conoidal point. See BOMB. Shell (shel), v. t. 1. To strip or break off the shell of; to take out of the shell; as, to shell nuts or almonds.-2. To separate from the ear; as, to shell maize.-3. To throw bomb-shells into, upon, or among; to bombard; as, to shell a fort, a town, &c. (Sir Colin Campbell) will batter down their mudwalls and shell their palaces. W. H. Russell. Shell (shel), v.i. 1. To fall off, as a shell, crust, or exterior coat.-2. To cast the shell or exterior covering; as, nuts shell in falling. To shell out, to give up, hand over money, &c.; as, the rogues compelled him to shell out. [Colloq.] Shellac (shellak), n. Same as Shell-lac. 1. A local name Shell-apple (shel'ap-1), n. able nut. for the common crossbill (Loxia curvirostra). 2. The chaffinch. Shell-bark (shel'bärk), n. A species of hickory (Carya alba), whose bark is loose and peeling. This species produces a palatCalled also Shag-bark. Shell-bit (shel'bit), n. A boring tool used with the brace in boring wood. It is shaped like a gouge; that is, its section is the segment of a circle, and when used it shears the fibres round the margin of the hole, and removes the wood almost as a solid core. Shell-board (shel'bōrd), n. A frame placed on a wagon or cart for the purpose of carrying hay, straw, &c. Shell-button (shel'but-n), n. A hollow button made of two pieces of metal, one for the front and the other for the back, usually covered with silk; also a button formed of mother-of-pearl shell. Shell-cameo (shel'kam-e-o), n. A cameo cut on a shell instead of a stone. The shells used are such as have the different layers of colour necessary to exhibit the peculiar effects produced by a cameo. Shelldrake (shel'drāk), n. drake. Shellduck (shel'duk), n. duck. Same as Shel Same as Shel Shell-fish (shel'fish), n. A mollusc, whose external covering consists of a shell, as oysters, clams, &c.; an animal whose outer covering is a crustaceous shell, as the lobster. Shell-flower (shel'flou-ér), n. A perennial plant of the genus Chelone, formerly regarded as a distinct species (C. glabra), but now recognized as a form of C. obliqua, with an upright branching stem bearing terminal spikes of flowers with an inflated tubular corona. Called also Snake-head and Turtlehead. See CHELONE. Shelling (shel'ing), n. [From shell.] A commercial name for groats. Simmonds. Shell-gun (shel'gun), n. A gun or cannon Shell-jacket (shel'jak-et), n. fitted for throwing bombs or shells. An undress Shell-lac (shellak), n. Seed-lac melted and military jacket. formed into thin cakes. See LAC. Shell-lime (shel'lim), n. Lime obtained by burning sea-shells. Shell-limestone (shel'lim-ston), n. Muschelkalk (which see). Shell-marl (shel'märl), n. A deposit of clay and other substances mixed with shells, which collects at the bottom of lakes. Shell-meat (shelmet), n. Some kind of edible provided with a shell. [Rare.] Shellmeats may be eaten after foul hands without Fuller. any harm. Shell-proof (shel'pröf), a. Proof against shells; impenetrable by shells; bomb-proof; as, a shell-proof building. Shell-road (shel'rod), n. A road, the upper stratum of which is formed of a layer of broken shells. Shell-sand (shel'sand), n. A name given to the triturated shells of mollusca, constituting in a great measure the beach in some localities. Such sand is much prized as a fertilizer. Shellum (shel'um), n. Same as Skellum. [Old English and Scotch.] Shell-work (shel'wèrk), n. Work composed of shells or adorned with them. SHELLY Shelly (shel'i), a. 1. Abounding with shells; covered with shells; as, the shelly shore. Go to your cave, and see it in its beauty, J. Baillie. 2. Consisting of a shell or shells. 'As the snail shrinks backward in his shelly cave. Shak. Shelter (shel'tër), n. [From O.E. sheld, A. Sax. sceld, seyld, a shield (whence scyldan, gescyldan, to protect, to defend). Allied to Icel. skjól, Dan. and Sw. skjul, a covering, a shelter; Skr. sku, to cover.] 1. That which covers or defends from injury or annoyance; a protection; as, a house is a shelter from rain; the foliage of a tree is a shelter from the rays of the sun. Shene, a. [See SHEEN.] Bright; shining; She-oak (she'ōk), n. A peculiar jointed, The healing plant shall aid, 2 A place or position affording cover or protection; protection; security. ⚫ Who into shelter takes their tender bloom.' Young. I will bear thee to some shelter. Shak. Shelter (shel'ter), v. t. 1. To provide shelter for; to cover from violence, injury, annoyance, or attack; to protect; to harbour; as, a valley sheltered from the north wind by a mountain. 'The weeds which his broadspreading leaves did shelter.' Shak. Those ruins shelter'd once his sacred head. Dryden. We besought the deep to shelter us. Milton. 2. To place under cover or shelter; as, we sheltered our horses below an overhanging rock: often with the reflexive pronouns; to betake one's self to cover or a safe place. They sheltered themselves under a rock. Abp. Abbot. 3. To cover from notice; to disguise for protection. In vain I strove to check my growing flame, There the Indian herdsman, shunning heat, Milton. Shelterless (shel'tèr-les), a. Destitute of shelter or protection; without home or refuge. Now sad and shelterless perhaps she lies, Rowe. Affording shelter. The warm and sheltery shores of Gibraltar.' Gilbert White. [Rare.] Sheltery (shel'tér-i), a. Sheltie (shel'ti), n. A small but strong horse in Scotland; so called from Shetland, where it is produced. Shelve (shelv), v. t. pret. & pp. shelved; ppr. shelving. 1. To place on a shelf or on shelves; hence, to put aside out of active employment, or out of use; to dismiss; as, to shelve a question, a person, or claim.— 2. To furnish with shelves. Shelve (shelv), v.i. (See SHELF.] To slope, like a shelf or sandbank; to incline; to be sloping. We must imagine a precipice of more than a hundred yards high on the side of a mountain, which shelves away a mile above it. Goldsmith. Shelve (shelv), n. A shelf or ledge. On a crag's uneasy shelve.' Keats. [Rare.] Shelving (shelv'ing), p. and a. Inclining; sloping; having declivity. Amidst the brake a hollow den was found, With rocks and shelving arches vaulted round. Addison. Shelving (shelv'ing), n. 1. The operation of fixing up shelves or of placing upon a shelf or shelves.-2. Materials for shelves; the shelves of a room, shop, &c., collectively. 3. A rock or sandbank lying near the surface of the sea. Dryden. Shelvy (shelv'i), a. Full of rocks or sandbanks; shallow. See SHELFY. I had been drowned but that the shore was shelvy and shallow. Shak. Shemering, n [See SHIMMER] An imperfect light; a glimmering. Chaucer. Shemite (shem'it), n. A descendant of Shem, the oldest son of Noah. Shemitic, Shemitish (shem-it'ik, shem-it'ish), a. Pertaining to Shem, the son of Noah. See SEMITIC. Shemitism (shem'it-izm), n. Same as Semi tism. Shendt (shend), v.t. pret. & pp. shent. [A. Sax. scendan, to shame, slander, injure, from sceond, sceand, scand, shame; G. schande, Goth. skanda, shame.] 1. To injure, mar, or spoil. That much I fear my body will be shent.' Dryden.-2. To put to shame; to blame, reproach, revile, degrade, disgrace. The famous name of A Hebrew word of frequent occurrence in the Old Testament, and rendered by the Authorized Version grave, hell, or pit. The word is generally understood to be derived from a root signifying hollow, and taken literally it appears to be represented as a subterranean place of vast dimensions in which the spirits of the dead rest. Sometimes the idea of retribution or punishment is connected with it, but never that of future happiness. Shepen, n. [Prov. E. shippen, shippon, A. Sax. scypen, a stable, a stall.] A stable. Chaucer. Shepherd (shep'érd), n. [A. Sax. sceap-hirde -sheep and herd.] 1. A man employed in tending, feeding, and guarding sheep in the pasture. 2. A pastor; one who exercises spiritual care over a district or community. Shepherd kings, the chiefs of a conquering nomadic race from the East who took Memphis, and rendered the whole of Egypt tributary. The dates of their invasion and conquest have been computed at from 2567 to 2500 B. C., and they are stated by some to have ruled for from 260 to 500 years, when the Egyptians rose and expelled them. Attempts have been made to connect their expulsion with the narrative in the book of Exodus. Called also Hycsos or Hyk-shos. Shepherd's crook, a long staff having its upper end curved so to form a hook, used by shepherds.-Shepherd's dog, a variety of dog employed by shepherds to protect the flocks and control their movements. It is generally of considerable size, and of powerful lithe build; the hair thickset and wavy; the tail inclined to be long, and having a bushy fringe; the muzzle sharp, the eyes large and bright. The collie or sheep-dog of Scotland is one of the best known and most intelligent dogs of this wide-spread and useful variety. - Shepherd's (or shepherd) tartan, (a) a kind of small check pattern in cloth, woven with black and white warp and weft. (b) A kind of cloth, generally woollen, woven in this pattern- generally made into shepherd's plaids, and often into trouserings, &c. Shepherd (shep'èrd), v.t. 1. To tend or guide, as a shepherd. [Poetical.] White, fleecy clouds Were wandering in thick flocks along the mountains, Shepherded by the slow, unwilling wind. Shelley. 2. To attend or wait on; to gallant. Shepherding a lady.' Edin. Rev. Shepherdess (shep'èrd-es), n. A woman that tends sheep; hence, a rural lass. She put herself into the garb of a shepherdess. Sir P. Sidney. Shepherdia (shep-êr'di-a), n. [After W. Shepherd, a botanist.] A genus of plants, nat. order Eleagnacer. The species are small shrubs, natives of North America, having opposite deciduous leaves with small flowers sessile in their axils. S. argentea, which has an edible scarlet fruit, is known in the United States as buffalo-berry. Shepherdisht (shep'èrd-ish), a. Resembling a shepherd; suiting a shepherd; pastoral; rustic. She saw walking from her ward a man in shepherd. ish apparel. Sir P. Sidney. Pastoral A little Shepherdism (shep'èrd-izm), n. life or occupation. [Rare.] Shepherdling (shep'érd-ling), n. shepherd. W. Browne. [Rare.] Shepherdly† (shep'èrd-li), a. Pastoral; rus tic. We read Rebekah, in the primitive plainness and shepherdly simplicity of those times, accepted bracelets and other ornaments, without any disparagement to her virgin modesty. Fer. Taylor. Shepherd's - club (shep'èrdz-klub), n. A plant of the genus Verbascum, the V. Thap sus. A plant of the genus Scandix, the S. PectenVeneris, or Venus's comb. See SCANDIX. Shepherd's-plaid (shep'êrdz-plad), a. Woollen with black and white checks, after the pattern usual for shepherd's plaids. 'He wore shepherd's-plaid inexpressibles.' Dick ens. Shepherd's - purse, Shepherd's - pouch (shep'êrdz-pèrs, shep'èrdz-pouch), n. A plant of the genus Capsella, nat. order Cruciferæ. C. bursa-pastoris is a very common weed, of world-wide distribution, having simple or cut leaves, small white flowers, and somewhat heart-shaped pods. Shepherd's-rod, Shepherd's-staff (shep'érdz-rod, shep'erdz-staf), n. A plant of the genus Dipsacus, the D. pilosus. Shepstert (shep'ster), n. One that shapes; a sempstress. Caxton. Sherardia (sher-är'di-a), n. [In honour of W. Sherard, a consul of Smyrna.] A genus of humble annuals of the order Rubiacere, distinguished by having a funnel-shaped corolla, and fruit crowned with the calyx. S. arvensis (field-madder) is the only British species. See FIELD-MADDER. Sherbet (sher'bet), n. [Ar. sherbet, shorbet, sharbat. This word, as well as sirup and shrub, is from the Ar. sharaba, to drink, to imbibe.] A favourite cooling drink in the East, made of fruit juices diluted with water, and variously sweetened and flavoured. Sherd (sherd), n. A fragment; a shard: in this form now occurring only as a compound; as, potsherd. The thigh ('tis called the knuckle-bone), which all in sherds it drove.' Chapman. Sheret (sher), v. t. To shear; to cut; to shave. Chaucer. Sheret (sher), a. [See SHEER] Clear; pure; unmingled. Spenser. Shereef, Sheriff (she-ref', she-rif'), n. [Ar.] 1. A descendant of Mohammed through his daughter Fatima and Hassan Ibn Ali. Written variously Scherif, Sherrife, Cherif.—2. A prince or ruler; the chief magistrate of Mecca. Sherif (she-rif'), n. Same as Shereef. Sheriff (sher'if), n. [A. Sax. scire-gerefa, a shire-reevescire, a shire, and gerefa, a governor, a reeve. See SHIRE and REEVE.] 1. In England, the chief officer of the crown in every county or shire, who does all the sovereign's business in the county, the crown by letters-patent committing the custody of the county to him alone. Sheriffs are appointed by the crown upon presentation of the judges in a manner partly regulated by law and partly by custom (see PRICKING); the citizens of London, however, have the right of electing the sheriffs for the city of London and the county of Middlesex. Those appointed are bound under a penalty to serve the office, except in specified cases of exemption or disability. As keeper of the queen's peace the sheriff is the first man in the county, and superior in rank to any nobleman therein during his office, which he holds for a year. He is specially intrusted with the execution of the laws and the preservation of the peace, and for this purpose he has at his disposal the whole civil force of the county-in old legal phraseology, the posse comitatus. The most ordinary of his functions, which he universally executes by a deputy called under-sheriff, consists in the execution of writs. The sheriff only performs in person such duties as are either purely honorary-for instance, attendance upon the judges on circuit-or as are of some dignity and public importance, such as the presiding over elections and the holding of county meetings, which he may call at any time.-2. In Scotland, the chief local judge of a county. There are two grades of sheriffs, the chief or superior sheriffs and the sheriffs-substitute (besides the lordlieutenant of the county, who has the honorary title of sheriff-principal), both being appointed by the crown. The chief sheriff, usually called simply the sheriff, may have more than one substitute under him, and the discharge of the greater part of the duties of the office now practically rests with the sheriffs-substitute, the sheriff being (except in one or two cases) a practising advocate in Edinburgh, while the sheriffsubstitute is prohibited from taking other employment, and must reside within his county. The civil jurisdiction of the sheriff extends to all personal actions on contract, bond, or obligation without limit, actions |