SHEDDING

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does shedding mean? 

• SHEDDING (noun)
  The noun SHEDDING has 2 senses:

1. the process whereby something is shed

2. loss of bits of outer skin by peeling or shedding or coming off in scales

  Familiarity information: SHEDDING used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SHEDDING (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The process whereby something is shed

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural processes

Synonyms:

shedding; sloughing

Hypernyms ("shedding" is a kind of...):

biological process; organic process (a process occurring in living organisms)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "shedding"):

abscission (shedding of flowers and leaves and fruit following formation of scar tissue in a plant)

ecdysis; molt; molting; moult; moulting (periodic shedding of the cuticle in arthropods or the outer skin in reptiles)

Derivation:

shed (cast off hair, skin, horn, or feathers)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Loss of bits of outer skin by peeling or shedding or coming off in scales

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural phenomena

Synonyms:

desquamation; peeling; shedding

Hypernyms ("shedding" is a kind of...):

organic phenomenon ((biology) a natural phenomenon involving living plants and animals)

 Context examples 

Scientists have spotted neurons that play crucial roles in connecting emotions and sleep, shedding light on the future discovery of drug targets for anxiety disorder and/or sleep disorders.

(The Secret Connection between Anxiety, Sleep, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Understanding ionospheric activity is shedding light on how the Martian atmosphere is being lost to space, according to the team.

(Mars Has Metal in Its Atmosphere, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

There she sat—and who would have guessed how many tears she had been lately shedding?

(Emma, by Jane Austen)

Nor could she leave the place in which Willoughby remained, busy in new engagements, and new schemes, in which SHE could have no share, without shedding many tears.

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)

This allele, which encodes disintegrin and metalloproteinase domain-containing protein 10, is involved in the modulation of plasma membrane protein shedding.

(ADAM10 wt Allele, NCI Thesaurus)

The shedding of tears associated with emotions, usually sadness but also joy or frustration.

(Crying, NCI Thesaurus)

Hypericin may also prevent the replication of encapsulated viruses probably due to inhibition of the assembly and shedding of virus particles in infected cells.

(Hypericin, NCI Thesaurus)

Shedding of the outer layer of skin or mucosal tissue.

(Desquamation, NCI Thesaurus)

The comet's nucleus will miss Mars by about 82,000 miles (132,000 kilometers), shedding material hurtling at about 35 miles (56 kilometers) per second, relative to Mars and Mars-orbiting spacecraft.

(Mars spacecraft prepare for close comet flyby, NASA)

They have expanded in size and are shedding their outer layers into space.

(Hubble Detects Giant 'Cannonballs' Shooting from Star, NASA)