dumb sheave WORD ORIGIN noun Nautical. a block having no sheave or other part rolling with the movement of a line. a groove in a spar or other timber, through which a rope can slide. Liberaldictionary.com What It Really Means to Call Someone "Crude" Can You Translate These Famous Phrases From Emoji? These Are the Longest Words in English These Are the Saddest Phrases in English Origin of dumb sheave First recorded in 1855–60 Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019