[sleev] 
verb, sleaved, sleav⋅ing, noun | 1. | to divide or separate into filaments, as silk. |
| 2. | anything matted or raveled. |
| 3. | a filament of silk obtained by separating a thicker thread. |
| 4. | a silk in the form of such filaments. |
| sleave (slēv) n. Archaic A fine thread or skein of thread. [From Middle English *sleven, to disentangle, from Old English *slǣfan, to cut, from slāf, past tense of slīfan, to split.] |
