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ENGLISH · A WORD WITH POSSIBILITIES

shed.

To part, separate or divide.

4 characters1 syllables approx.English language

Meaning & usage

verb/ʃɛd/
  1. To part, separate or divide.

    UK · dialectal · transitive
    to shed something in two
    to shed the sheep from the lambs
  2. To part with, separate from, leave off; cast off, cast, let fall, be divested of.

    ambitransitive
    You must shed your fear of the unknown before you can proceed.
    When we found the snake, it was in the process of shedding its skin.
  3. To pour; to make flow.

    archaic · transitive
  4. To allow to flow or fall.

    transitive
    I didn't shed many tears when he left me.
    A tarpaulin sheds water.
  5. To radiate, cast, give off (light).

    transitive
    to shed light on
    Can you shed any light on this problem?
  6. To pour forth, give off, impart.

    obsolete · transitive
  7. To fall in drops; to pour.

    intransitive · obsolete
  8. To sprinkle; to intersperse; to cover.

  9. To divide, as the warp threads, so as to form a shed, or passageway, for the shuttle.

Where this word comes from

From Middle English scheden, schede, from Old English scēadan, scādan (“to separate, divide, part, make a line of separation between; remove from association or companionship; distinguish, discriminate, decide, determine, appoint; shatter, shed; expound; decree; write down; differ”), from Proto-West Germanic *skaiþan, from Proto-Germanic *skaiþaną (compare West Frisian skiede, Dutch and German scheiden), from Proto-Indo-European *skeyt- (“to cut, part, divide, separate”), from *skey-. See also Irish scian (“knife”), Lithuanian skėsti (“to spread”), ski̇́esti (“to separate”), Old Church Slavonic цѣдити (cěditi, “to filter, strain”), Ancient Greek σχίζω (skhízō, “to split”), Old Armenian ցտեմ (cʻtem, “to scratch”), Sanskrit च्यति (cyáti, “he cuts off”)). Related to shoad, shit, sheath.

noun/ʃɛd/
  1. An opening between upper and lower warp yarns through which the weft is woven.

  2. A distinction or dividing-line.

    obsolete
  3. A parting in the hair.

    obsolete
  4. The top of the head.

    obsolete
  5. An area of land as distinguished from those around it.

Where this word comes from

From Middle English sched, schede, schad, from a combination of Old English scēada (“a parting of the hair, top of the head”) and Old English ġesċēad (“distinction, reason”).

noun/ʃɛd/
  1. A slight or temporary structure built to shade or shelter something; a structure usually open in front; an outbuilding, especially a smallish one; a hut.

    wagon shed
    wood shed
  2. A large temporary open structure for reception of goods.

  3. An automobile which is old, worn-out, slow, or otherwise of poor quality.

    UK · derogatory · informal
  4. A British Rail Class 66 locomotive.

    UK · informal
  5. A unit of area equivalent to 10⁻⁵² square meters.

  6. Alternative form of woodshed.

    alt-of · alternative · slang
Where this word comes from

Dialectal variant of a specialized use of shade.

verb/ʃɛd/
  1. To place or allocate a vehicle, such as a locomotive, in or to a depot or shed.

    transitive
  2. To woodshed.

    transitive
Where this word comes from

Dialectal variant of a specialized use of shade.

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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.

Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.