Shell Shell noun 1. Something similar in form or action to an ordnance shell; specif.: (a) (Fireworks) A case or cartridge containing a charge of explosive material, which bursts after having been thrown high into the air. It is often elevated through the agency of a larger firework in which it is contained. (b) (Oil Wells) A torpedo.

2. A concave rough cast-iron tool in which a convex lens is ground to shape.

3. A gouge bit or shell bit.

Shell-lac, Shellac Shell"-lac`, Shel"lac` noun [ Shell + lac a resinous substance; confer Dutch shellak , German schellack .] See the Note under 2d Lac .

Shell-less Shell"-less adjective Having no shell. J. Burroughs.

Shellapple Shell"ap`ple noun (Zoology) See Sheldafle .

Shellbark Shell"bark` noun (Botany) A species of hickory ( Carya alba ) whose outer bark is loose and peeling; a shagbark; also, its nut.

Shelled Shelled adjective (Zoology) Having a shell.

Sheller Shell"er noun One who, or that which, shells; as, an oyster sheller ; a corn sheller .

Shellfish Shell"fish` noun (Zoology) Any aquatic animal whose external covering consists of a shell, either testaceous, as in oysters, clams, and other mollusks, or crustaceous, as in lobsters and crabs.

Shelling Shell"ing noun Groats; hulled oats. Simmonds.

Shellproof Shell"proof` adjective Capable of resisting bombs or other shells; bombproof.

Shellwork Shell"work` noun Work composed of shells, or adorned with them. Cotgrave.

Shelly Shell"y adjective Abounding with shells; consisting of shells, or of a shell. "The shelly shore." Prior.

Shrinks backward in his shelly cave.

Shak.

Shelter Shel"ter noun [ Confer Middle English scheltrun , shiltroun , schelltrome , scheldtrome , a guard, squadron, Anglo-Saxon scildtruma a troop of men with shields; scild shield + truma a band of men. See Shield , noun ] 1. That which covers or defends from injury or annoyance; a protection; a screen.

The sick and weak the healing plant shall aid,
From storms a shelter , and from heat a shade.

Pope.

2. One who protects; a guardian; a defender.

Thou [ God] hast been a shelter for me.

Ps. lxi. 3.

3. The state of being covered and protected; protection; security.

Who into shelter takes their tender bloom.

Young.

Shelter tent , a small tent made of pieces of cotton duck arranged to button together. In field service the soldiers carry the pieces.

Syn. -- Asylum; refuge; retreat; covert; sanctuary; protection; defense; security.

Shelter Shel"ter transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Sheltered ; present participle & verbal noun Sheltering .] 1. To be a shelter for; to provide with a shelter; to cover from injury or annoyance; to shield; to protect.

Those ruins sheltered once his sacred head.

Dryden.

You have no convents . . . in which such persons may be received and sheltered .

Southey.

2. To screen or cover from notice; to disguise.

In vain I strove to cheek my growing flame,
Or shelter passion under friendship's name.

Prior.

3. To betake to cover, or to a safe place; -- used reflexively.

They sheltered themselves under a rock.

Abp. Abbot.

Shelter Shel"ter intransitive verb To take shelter.

There oft the Indian herdsman, shunning heat,
Shelters in cool.

Milton.

Shelterless Shel"ter·less adjective Destitute of shelter or protection.

Now sad and shelterless perhaps she lies.

Rowe.

Sheltery Shel"ter·y adjective Affording shelter. [ R.]

Sheltie, Shelty Shel"tie, Shel"ty noun A Shetland pony.

Shelve Shelve transitive verb 1. To furnish with shelves; as, to shelve a closet or a library.

2. To place on a shelf. Hence: To lay on the shelf; to put aside; to dismiss from service; to put off indefinitely; as, to shelve an officer; to shelve a claim.

Shelve Shelve intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Shelved ; present participle & verbal noun Shelving .] [ Perhapss originally from the same source as shallow , but influenced by shelf a ledge, a platform.] To incline gradually; to be slopping; as, the bottom shelves from the shore.

Shelving Shelv"ing adjective Sloping gradually; inclining; as, a shelving shore. Shak. " Shelving arches." Addison.

Shelving Shelv"ing noun 1. The act of fitting up shelves; as, the job of shelving a closet.

2. The act of laying on a shelf, or on the shelf; putting off or aside; as, the shelving of a claim.

3. Material for shelves; shelves, collectively.

Shelvy Shelv"y adjective Sloping gradually; shelving.

The shore was shelving and shallow.

Shak.

Shemite Shem"ite noun A descendant of Shem.

Shemitic, Shemitish Shem·it"ic, Shem"i·tish adjective Of or pertaining to Shem , the son of Noah, or his descendants. See Semitic .

Shemitism Shem"i·tism noun See Semitism .

Shend Shend transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Shent ; present participle & verbal noun Shending .] [ Anglo-Saxon scendan to disgrace, bring to shame, from sceand , sceond , disgrace, dishonor, shame; akin to German schande , Goth. skanda . See Shame , noun ] 1. To injure, mar, spoil, or harm. [ Obsolete] "Loss of time shendeth us." Chaucer.

I fear my body will be shent .

Dryden.

2. To blame, reproach, or revile; to degrade, disgrace, or put to shame. [ Archaic] R. Browning.

The famous name of knighthood foully shend .

Spenser.

She passed the rest as Cynthia doth shend
The lesser stars.

Spenser.

Shendful Shend"ful adjective Destructive; ruinous; disgraceful. [ Obsolete] -- Shend"ful*ly , adverb [ Obsolete] Fabyan.

Shendship Shend"ship noun Harm; ruin; also, reproach; disgrace. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Shent Shent obsolete 3d pers. sing. present of Shend , for shendeth . Chaucer.

Shent Shent transitive verb To shend. [ Obsolete] Chaucer.

Sheol She"ol (shē"ōl) noun [ Hebrew shĕōl .] The place of departed spirits; Hades; also, the grave.

For thou wilt not leave my soul to sheol .

Ps. xvi. 10. (Rev. Ver.)

Shepen Shep"en noun A stable; a shippen. [ Obsolete]

The shepne brenning with the blacke smoke.

Chaucer.

Shepherd Shep"herd noun [ Middle English schepherde , schephirde , Anglo-Saxon sceáphyrde ; sceáp sheep + hyrde , hirde , heorde , a herd, a guardian. See Sheep , and Herd .] 1. A man employed in tending, feeding, and guarding sheep, esp. a flock grazing at large.

2. The pastor of a church; one with the religious guidance of others.

Shepherd bird (Zoology) , the crested screamer. See Screamer . -- Shepherd dog (Zoology) , a breed of dogs used largely for the herding and care of sheep. There are several kinds, as the collie, or Scotch shepherd dog, and the English shepherd dog. Called also shepherd's dog . -- Shepherd dog , a name of Pan. Keats. -- Shepherd kings , the chiefs of a nomadic people who invaded Egypt from the East in the traditional period, and conquered it, at least in part. They were expelled after about five hundred years, and attempts have been made to connect their expulsion with narrative in the book of Exodus. -- Shepherd's club (Botany) , the common mullein. See Mullein . -- Shepherd's crook , a long staff having the end curved so as to form a large hook, -- used by shepherds. -- Shepherd's needle (Botany) , the lady's comb. -- Shepherd's plaid , a kind of woolen cloth of a checkered black and white pattern. -- Shephered spider (Zoology) , a daddy longlegs, or harvestman. -- Shepherd's pouch , or Shepherd's purse (Botany) , an annual cruciferous plant ( Capsella Bursapastoris ) bearing small white flowers and pouchlike pods. See Illust. of Silicle . -- Shepherd's rod , or Shepherd's staff (Botany) , the small teasel.

Shepherd Shep"herd transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Shepherded ; present participle & verbal noun Shepherding .] To tend as a shepherd; to guard, herd, lead, or drive, as a shepherd. [ Poetic]

White, fleecy clouds . . .

Shepherded by the slow, unwilling wind.

Shelley.

Shepherdess Shep"herd·ess noun A woman who tends sheep; hence, a rural lass.

She put herself into the garb of a shepherdess .

Sir P. Sidney.

Shepherdia Shep·her"di·a noun ; plural Shepherdias . [ New Latin So called from John Shepherd , an English botanist.] (Botany) A genus of shrubs having silvery scurfy leaves, and belonging to the same family as Elæagnus; also, any plant of this genus. See Buffalo berry , under Buffalo .

Shepherdish Shep"herd·ish noun Resembling a shepherd; suiting a shepherd; pastoral. Sir T. Sidney.

Shepherdism Shep"herd·ism noun Pastoral life or occupation.

Shepherdling Shep"herd·ling noun A little shepherd.

Shepherdly Shep"herd·ly adjective Resembling, or becoming to, a shepherd; pastoral; rustic. [ R.] Jer. Taylor.

Shepster Shep"ster noun A seamstress. [ Obsolete] Caxton.

Sherardize Sher"ard·ize transitive verb [ From Sherard Cowper-Coles, the inventor.] (Metal.) To subject to the process of vapor galvanizing (which see, below).

Sherbet Sher"bet noun [ Arabic sherbet , shorbet , sharbat , properly, one drink or sip, a draught, beverage, from shariba to drink. Confer Sorbet , Sirup , Shrub a drink.] 1. A refreshing drink, common in the East, made of the juice of some fruit, diluted, sweetened, and flavored in various ways; as, orange sherbet ; lemon sherbet ; raspberry sherbet , etc.

2. A flavored water ice.

3. A preparation of bicarbonate of soda, tartaric acid, sugar, etc., variously flavored, for making an effervescing drink; -- called also sherbet powder .

Sherd Sherd noun A fragment; -- now used only in composition, as in pot sherd . See Shard .

The thigh . . . which all in sherds it drove.

Chapman.

Shereef Sher"eef Sher"if noun [ Arabic sherīf noble, holy, noun , a prince.] A member of an Arab princely family descended from Mohammed through his son-in-law Ali and daughter Fatima. The Grand Shereef is the governor of Mecca.

Sheriat Sher"i·at noun [ Turk. sherī 'at ] The sacred law of the Turkish empire.

Sheriff Sher"iff noun [ Middle English shereve , Anglo-Saxon scīr-ger...fa ; scīr a shire + ger...fa a reeve. See Shire, and Reeve , and confer Shrievalty .] The chief officer of a shire or county, to whom is intrusted the execution of the laws, the serving of judicial writs and processes, and the preservation of the peace.

» In England, sheriffs are appointed by the king. In the United States, sheriffs are elected by the legislature or by the citizens, or appointed and commissioned by the executive of the State. The office of sheriff in England is judicial and ministerial. In the United States, it is mainly ministerial. The sheriff, by himself or his deputies, executes civil and criminal process throughout the county, has charge of the jail and prisoners, attends courts, and keeps the peace. His judicial authority is generally confined to ascertaining damages on writs of inquiry and the like. Sheriff , in Scotland, called sheriff depute , is properly a judge, having also certain ministerial powers. Sheriff clerk is the clerk of the Sheriff's Court in Scotland. Sheriff's Court in London is a tribunal having cognizance of certain personal actions in that city. Wharton, Tomlins. Erskine.

Sheriffalty, Sheriffdom Sher"iff·al·ty, Sher"iff·dom Sher"iff*ry Sher"iff*ship

Shern Shern noun See Shearn . [ Obsolete]

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