New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.
Sleave — (sl[=e]v), n. [Cf. Dan. sl[ o]if, a knot loop, Sw. slejf, G. schleife a knot, sliding knot, and E. slip, v.i.] (a) The knotted or entangled part of silk or thread. (b) Silk not yet twisted; floss; called also {sleave silk}. [1913 Webster] Sleep… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Sleave — Sleave, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Sleaved} (sl[=e]vd); p. pr. & vb. n. {Sleaving}.] To separate, as threads; to divide, as a collection of threads; to sley; a weaver s term. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
sleave — index involution Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 … Law dictionary
sleave — O.E. slifan to separate, related to SLIVER (Cf. sliver) (v.) … Etymology dictionary
sleave — [slēv] n. [< OE slæfan, to separate; akin to slifan: see SLIVER] 1. Obs. a) a fine silk thread separated from a large thread b) untwisted silk that tends to mat or tangle; floss 2. Rare any tangle, as of ravelings vt. sleave … English World dictionary
sleave — I. ˈslēv verb ( ed/ ing/ s) Etymology: from (assumed) Middle English sleven, from (assumed) Old English slǣfan to cut (whence tōslǣfan to cut up); akin to Old English tōslīfan to split more at slive transitiv … Useful english dictionary
sleave silk — Sleave Sleave (sl[=e]v), n. [Cf. Dan. sl[ o]if, a knot loop, Sw. slejf, G. schleife a knot, sliding knot, and E. slip, v.i.] (a) The knotted or entangled part of silk or thread. (b) Silk not yet twisted; floss; called also {sleave silk}. [1913… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
sleave — /sleev/, v., sleaved, sleaving, n. v.t. 1. to divide or separate into filaments, as silk. n. 2. anything matted or raveled. 3. a filament of silk obtained by separating a thicker thread. 4. a silk in the form of such filaments. [1585 95; OE… … Universalium
sleave — [[t]sliv[/t]] v. sleaved, sleav•ing, n. 1) tex to divide or separate into filaments, as silk 2) anything matted or raveled 3) tex a filament of silk obtained by separating a thicker thread 4) tex a silk in the form of such filaments, esp. a floss … From formal English to slang
sleave — /sliv/ (say sleev) verb (t) (sleaved, sleaving) 1. to divide or separate into filaments, as silk. –noun 2. a filament of silk obtained by separating a thicker thread. 3. a silk in the form of such filaments. 4. Poetic, Literature anything matted… …
