sleave

1 of 2

noun

ˈslēv

archaic

: skein

sleep that knits up the raveled sleave of care—

William Shakespeare

sleave

2 of 2

verb

sleaved; sleaving; sleaves

transitive verb

obsolete

: to separate (silk thread) into filaments

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English *sleven, from Old English -slǣfan to cut

First Known Use

Noun

1591, in the meaning defined above

Verb

circa 1628, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of sleave was in 1591

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Sleave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sleave. Accessed 1 Feb. 2023.

Copy Citation

Word of the Day

eleemosynary

Listen to the pronunciation of eleemosynary

See Definitions and Examples »

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

Fashionable Words

Which of these items is named for a deadly weapon?

Name That Thing

You know what it looks like… but what is it called?

TAKE THE QUIZ

Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can with using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.

Can you make 12 words with 7 letters?

PLAY