n. (pl. same) 1 any ruminant mammal of the genus Ovis with a thick woolly coat, esp. kept in flocks for its wool or meat, and noted for its timidity. 2 a bashful, timid, or silly person. 3 (usu. in pl.) a a member of a minister's congregation. b a parishioner. separate the sheep from the goats divide into superior and inferior groups (cf. Matt. 25:33). sheep-dip 1 a preparation for cleansing sheep of vermin or preserving their wool. 2 the place where sheep are dipped in this. sheep-run an extensive sheepwalk, esp. in Australia. sheep's-bit a plant, Jasione montana, resembling a scabious. sheeplike adj.
[ OE scep, scp, sceap ]