Sheet chain
(Sheet" chain") (Naut.) A chain sheet cable.
Sheetful
(Sheet"ful) n.; pl. Sheetfuls Enough to fill a sheet; as much as a sheet can hold.
Sheeting
(Sheet"ing), n.
1. Cotton or linen cloth suitable for bed sheets. It is sometimes made of double width.
2. (Hydraul. Engin.) A lining of planks or boards (rarely of metal) for protecting an embankment.
3. The act or process of forming into sheets, or flat pieces; also, material made into sheets.
Sheik
(||Sheik) n. [Ar. sheikh, shaykh, a venerable old man, a chief, fr. shakha to grow or be old.]
The head of an Arab family, or of a clan or a tribe; also, the chief magistrate of an Arab village. The
name is also applied to Mohammedan ecclesiastics of a high grade. [Written also scheik, shaik, sheikh.]
Sheil
(Sheil Sheil"ing), n. See Sheeling.
Shekel
(Shek"el) n. [Heb. shegel, fr. shagal to weigh.]
1. An ancient weight and coin used by the Jews and by other nations of the same stock.
A common estimate makes the shekel equal in weight to about 130 grains for gold, 224 grains for silver,
and 450 grains for copper, and the approximate values of the coins are (gold) $5.00, (silver) 60 cents,
and one and one half cents.
2. pl. A jocose term for money.
Shekinah
(She*ki"nah) n. [Heb Talmud shekinah, fr. shakan to inhabit.] The visible majesty of the
Divine Presence, especially when resting or dwelling between the cherubim on the mercy seat, in the
Tabernacle, or in the Temple of Solomon; — a term used in the Targums and by the later Jews, and
adopted by Christians. [Written also Shechinah.] Dr. W. Smith (Bib. Dict.)
Sheld
(Sheld) a. [OE., fr. sheld a shield, probably in allusion to the ornamentation of shields. See
Shield.] Variegated; spotted; speckled; piebald. [Prov. Eng.]
Sheldafle
(Sheld"a*fle Sheld"a*ple) n. [Perhaps for sheld dapple. Cf. Sheldrake.] (Zoöl.) A chaffinch.
[Written also sheldapple, and shellapple.]
Sheldfowl
(Sheld"fowl`) n. (Zoöl.) The common sheldrake. [Prov. Eng.]
Sheldrake
(Shel"drake`) n. [Sheld + drake.]
1. (Zoöl.) Any one of several species of large Old World ducks of the genus Tadorna and allied genera,
especially the European and Asiatic species. (T. cornuta, or tadorna), which somewhat resembles a
goose in form and habit, but breeds in burrows.
It has the head and neck greenish black, the breast, sides, and forward part of the back brown, the
shoulders and middle of belly black, the speculum green, and the bill and frontal bright red. Called also
shelduck, shellduck, sheldfowl, skeelduck, bergander, burrow duck, and links goose.
The Australian sheldrake (Tadorna radja) has the head, neck, breast, flanks, and wing coverts white,
the upper part of the back and a band on the breast deep chestnut, and the back and tail black. The
chestnut sheldrake of Australia (Casarca tadornoides) is varied with black and chestnut, and has a dark
green head and neck. The ruddy sheldrake, or Braminy duck (C. rutila), and the white-winged sheldrake
are related Asiatic species.
