Sheepie

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An affectionate informal word for a sheep, often a small or young one, or a toy shaped like one
2. A cute, childish name for a sheep, sometimes used as a pet name or for a soft toy resembling a lamb
3. Informal slang for a sheep, frequently applied to a young or woolly animal or to a stuffed figure of one

Etymology: The ending is the simple part. "-ie" is a diminutive suffix, the same one found in "doggie" and "horsey," and it marks something small, young, familiar, or affectionate. Attaching it to "sheep" gives a name for a little or endearing sheep. The base word is older and more interesting. "Sheep" descends from Old English "sceap," which belongs to the Germanic family of languages. In Old English the singular and plural were the same form, so you could speak of one "sceap" or many. That is why modern English still says "a sheep" and "three sheep" without adding an "s," a pattern that survives from the older language.