Etymology : Middle English, from Old English scEap; akin to Old High German scAf sheep
Pronunciation : shEp
Function : noun
Date : before 12th century
1. variety of cud-chewing animal related to the goat (raised for wool, meat or skin); skin of a sheep; docile and submissive person. sheep\sheep\ , n. sing. & pl. [oe. shep, scheep, as. sc p, sce?p; akin to ofries. sk p, lg. & d. schaap, g. schaf, ohg. scāf, skr. chāga. ?295. cf. sheepherd.].
2. (zo?l.) any one of several species of ruminants of the genus ovis, native of the higher mountains of both hemispheres, but most numerous in asia.note: the domestic sheep (ovis aries) varies much in size, in the length and texture of its wool, the form and size of its horns, the length of its tail, etc. it was domesticated in prehistoric ages, and many distinct breeds have been produced; as the merinos, celebrated for their fine wool; the cretan sheep, noted for their long horns; the fat-tailed, or turkish, sheep, remarkable for the size and fatness of the tail, which often has to be supported on trucks; the southdowns, in which the horns are lacking; and an asiatic breed which always has four horns.
3. a weak, bashful, silly fellow.
4. pl. fig.: the people of god, as being under the government and protection of christ, the great shepherd.
5. Any one of several species of ruminants of the genus Ovis, native of the higher mountains of both hemispheres, but most numerous in Asia.
6. A weak, bashful, silly fellow.
7. Fig.: The people of God, as being under the government and protection of Christ, the great Shepherd. woolly usually horned ruminant mammal related to the goat a docile and vulnerable person who would rather follow than make an independent decision; "his students followed him like sheep" a timid defenseless simpleton who is readily preyed upon.
8. 1. A sheep is a farm animal which is covered with thick curly hair called wool. Sheep are kept for their wool or for their meat. grassland on which a flock of sheep were grazing.
9. disapproval If you say that a group of people are like sheep, you disapprove of them because if one person does something, all the others copy that person. see also:
black sheep. Ruminants (bovid genus Ovis) that have scent glands in the face and hind feet. Horns, if present, are more divergent than those of goats. Species range from 80 to 400 lb (35 to 180 kg). The coat of wild species consists of outer hair underlain by wool. Sheep graze in flocks, preferably on short, fine grasses and legumes. They have been domesticated from at least 5000 BC in the Middle East, Europe, and Central Asia. Most domesticated breeds produce fine wool; the few that produce only hair or coarse or long wool are generally raised for meat. The flesh of mature sheep is called mutton; that of immature sheep is called lamb. mountain sheep Black Sheep sheep laurel.