shed

¹shed

verb \ˈshed\

shedshed·ding

Definition of SHED

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>

— shed blood

: to cause death by violence

Origin of SHED

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

First Known Use: before 12th century

Rhymes with SHED

bed, bread, dead, dread, ed, fed, head, lead, med, ped, read, red, Red, redd, said, shred, sled, spread, stead, ted, thread, tread, wed, zed