I. ˈshed verb
( 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 shed s 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
shed s 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 shed s 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
II. noun
Date: 12th century
1. obsolete : distinction , difference
2. : something (as the skin of a snake) that is discarded in shedding
3. : a divide of land
III. noun
Etymology: alteration of earlier shadde, probably from Middle English shade shade
Date: 1557
1.
a. : a slight structure built for shelter or storage ; especially : a single-storied building with one or more sides unenclosed
b. : a building that resembles a shed
2. archaic : hut
• shed·like -ˌlīk adjective
IV. transitive verb
( shed·ded ; shed·ding )
Date: 1850
: to put or house in a shed