sheep
A domesticated ruminant mammal kept for its wool, meat, and milk.
Etymology
From Old English scēap, from Proto-Germanic *skēpą. The PIE origin is uncertain — the Germanic word does not descend from *h₂ówis "sheep" (which gave Latin ovis and English "ewe" instead). The word *skēpą may be a Germanic innovation or substrate borrowing. English retains the PIE root in "ewe" (from *h₂ówis) but uses "sheep" as the main term.
The Journey: (uncertain) → sheep
*h₂ówis
*skēpą
scēap
sheep
Cognates Across Languages
These words in other languages descend from the same PIE root (uncertain). They are not borrowings but independent inheritances from a common ancestor.
| Language | Word |
|---|---|
| Greek | óis |
| Latin | ovis |
| Hittite | ḫawi- |
| Sanskrit | ávi- |
| Old Irish | oí |
| Lithuanian | avis |
Did You Know?
The word "sheep" is unchanged in both singular and plural — one of English's zero-plural nouns. Meanwhile, "ewe" (female sheep) is the direct English descendant of PIE *h₂ówis.