Sheave
/ʃiːv/noun
A grooved wheel over which a rope or belt runs, or a bundle of grain stalks tied together.
Did you know?Sheave is historically linked to the idea of a bundle or a sliced-off piece, and its pulley sense became essential to cranes, wells, and ship rigging long before modern engineering.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*skei-
“to cut, split”
Old English
OE
scēafa
“a bundle of grain; a sheaf”
Middle English
ME
sheve
“a sheaf or bundle; later, a pulley wheel”
Early Modern English
English
sheave
“a grooved wheel for a rope or belt”
Modern English
English
sheave
“a pulley wheel; also, a bundle of grain stalks”