Main Entry: ¹shed

Pronunciation: \ˈshed\

Function: verb

Inflected Form(s): shed; shed·ding

Etymology: Middle English, to divide, separate, from Old English scēadan; akin to Old High German skeidan to separate, Latin scindere to split, cleave, Greek schizein to split

Date: before 12th century

transitive verb 1 chiefly dialect : to set apart : segregate
2 : to cause to be dispersed without penetrating <duck's plumage sheds water>
3 a : to cause (blood) to flow by cutting or wounding b : to pour forth in drops <shed tears> c : to give off or out <sheds some light on the subject>
4 : to give off, discharge, or expel from the body of a plant or animal: as a : to eject, slough off, or lose as part of the normal processes of life <a caterpillar shedding its skin> <a cat shedding hair> <a deciduous tree sheds its leaves in the fall> b : to discharge usually gradually especially as part of a pathological process <shed a virus in the feces>
5 : to rid oneself of temporarily or permanently as superfluous or unwanted <shed her inhibitions> <the company shed 100 jobs>intransitive verb 1 : to pour out : spill
2 : to become dispersed : scatter
3 : to cast off some natural covering (as fur or skin) <the cat is shedding>

synonyms see discard

— shed blood : to cause death by violence