sherif, a title of the descendants of Mohammed, a title of the chief magistrate of Mecca, and of Morocco; ‘The Sheriffe of Mecca’, Purchas, Pilgrims, iii. 257. Arab. sharîf, noble, of noble lineage, particularly, descending from Mohammed (Steingass). See [xeriff].
sherris, ‘sherry’, a Spanish wine, so called from the town Xeres. 2 Hen. IV, iv. 3. 111, 114, 122, 131. The Arabic form of the place-name Xeres was Sherêysh (Dozy, Glossaire, p. 18). The Roman name was Caesaris Asidona. By the loss of the first syllable, Caesaris became on the lips of the Moors sherêysh. For a similar decapitation of the word Caesar, compare the name of the Spanish city Zaragoça, the Caesaraugusta of the Romans.
shewelle, sewell; ‘A sewell, a thing to keep out the deer’, Howell, Lexicon Tetraglotton; ‘Anything that is hung up is called a Sewel; and those are used most commonly to amaze a Deare, and to make him refuse to passe wher they are hanged up’, Turbervile, Hunting (ed. 1575, p. 98); used fig., ‘Bugbeares of opinions brought, to serve as shewelles to keep them from those faults’, Sir P. Sidney, Arcadia (ed. 1605, p. 267); ‘Shewell’ in the sense of a scarecrow is still in use in Oxfordsh. and Berks. (EDD.). Cp. ME. scheawle, a scarecrow (Owl and N. 1648); a-schewelen, to scare away (Stratmann, pp. 32, 528); deriv. of OE. scēoh, timid, shy.
shift herself, change her dress. Beaumont and Fl., Nice Valour, iii. 1. 8. In prov. use, see EDD. (s.v. Shift, 2).
shine, bright. Spenser, F. Q. iv. 3. 3; ‘Girt my shine browe with sea-banke Myrtle sprays’, Marlowe, tr. of Ovid’s Elegies, bk. i, 1. 34 (Wks., ed. Tucker Brooke, 560). See [sheene].
shirwood = L. lucus. Phaer, Aeneid viii, 342.
shittle, unstable, inconstant; ‘Their shittle hate’, Mirror for Mag., Collingbourne, st. 3; ‘Shyttell, nat constant, variable’, Palsgrave. ME. schytyl, ‘preceps’ (Prompt. EETS. 398), cogn. w. OE. scēotan, to run hastily (Acts vii. 57); see Cook, Biblical Quotations, p. 234.
shittle-cock, a shuttlecock. Middleton, A Chaste Maid, iii. 2 (Allwit). ‘Shyttel cocke, volant’, Palsgrave. ME. schytyl, a shuttle (in a child’s game), see Prompt. EETS. 398.
shive, a slice, Titus Andron. ii. 1. 87. In gen. prov. use in Scotland, Ireland, England, and America, see EDD. (s.v. Shive, sb.1 1). ME. schyve of bred or oþer lyke, ‘lesca, scinda’ (Prompt. EETS. 399). Cp. Icel. skifa, a slice, and G. scheibe.
shock-dog, a rough-coated dog; a poodle. Wycherley, Gent. Dancing-master, ii. 2 (Hippolyta); Tatler, no. 245.