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Added 9 October 2026

sleeve

/sliːv/ noun

In Latin: manulea, manica Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about sleeve at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

The part of a garment that is attached at the armhole and that provides a cloth covering for the arm.
Small case into which an object fits.

Origin

From Middle English sleve, slefe, from Old English slīef and slīefe (“sleeve”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Sleeuwe (“sleeve”), West Frisian slúf, Dutch sloof (“apron”), Low German sluve, dialectal German Schlaube. The Canadian sense of “measure smaller than a pint” is due to a former conflict between federal law and provincial law in British Columbia. According to federal law, a pint must be 20 imperial ounces (~568 ml), but according to provincial law at the time, the maximum individual serving size was 500 ml, so an individual portion could not be called a “pint” in British Columbia, and required a different term.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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