skiff

C2 Topic:Transportation

Also spelled skift and skifts

US /skɪf/ See IPA manual

Freq #38688

Meanings

1

noun
A small flat-bottomed open boat with a pointed bow and square stern.

Old Applegate, in the stern, just set and looked at me, and Lord James, amidship, waved both arms and kept hollering for help. I took a couple of everlasting big strokes and managed to grab hold of the skiff's rail, close to the stern.
2

noun
Any of various types of boats small enough for sailing or rowing by one person.

I went alone into a Shepherd's boat, A skiff that to a willow-tree was tied Within a rocky cave, its usual home […].
3

noun
A light, fleeting shower of rain or snow, or gust of wind, etc.

A skiff of rain blew into the shed and the two men moved their chairs back.
4

noun
A (typically light) dusting of snow or ice (or dust, etc) (on ground, water, trees, etc).

At sunrise there was a slight skiff of ice on some water in a bucket; […].

Thesaurus

Word family

Derived forms skanoeskifflessskifflike

Related forms skiffleskift

Etymology

From Scots skiff (“light shower of rain or snow”), from skiff (“move lightly”); compare the derivative skiffle (whence English skiffle) and (English skift (“light dusting of snow”) from) Scots skift (“light shower of snow”), from skift (“move lightly”), perhaps related to shift/Old Norse skipta, or perhaps an onomatopoeic formation.

Topics

Transportation

External links

# skiff

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /skɪf/
**Frequency rank:** 38688

## Meanings
1. A small flat-bottomed open boat with a pointed bow and square stern.
2. Any of various types of boats small enough for sailing or rowing by one person.
3. A light, fleeting shower of rain or snow, or gust of wind, etc.
4. A (typically light) dusting of snow or ice (or dust, etc) (on ground, water, trees, etc).

## Examples
- Old Applegate, in the stern, just set and looked at me, and Lord James, amidship, waved both arms and kept hollering for help. I took a couple of everlasting big strokes and managed to grab hold of the skiff's rail, close to the stern.
- I went alone into a Shepherd's boat, A skiff that to a willow-tree was tied Within a rocky cave, its usual home […].
- A skiff of rain blew into the shed and the two men moved their chairs back.
- At sunrise there was a slight skiff of ice on some water in a bucket; […].

## Derived Forms
- skanoe
- skiffless
- skifflike

## Related Forms
- skiffle
- skift

## Etymology
From Scots skiff (“light shower of rain or snow”), from skiff (“move lightly”); compare the derivative skiffle (whence English skiffle) and (English skift (“light dusting of snow”) from) Scots skift (“light shower of snow”), from skift (“move lightly”), perhaps related to shift/Old Norse skipta, or perhaps an onomatopoeic formation.

## Topics
- Transportation

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