noun
- tangled or knotted threads or fibers, especially silk
Usage: archaic; textile
verb
- to separate or divide into filaments; to split
Usage: archaic
Examples
- The weaver carefully removed the sleaves from the silk thread.
- Old tapestries often contain sleaves that must be untangled during restoration.
- The rope sleaves easily when exposed to saltwater.
- She sleaves the fiber into thin strands for spinning.
- The ancient text mentions sleaves of gold thread in royal garments.