skiff

Meanings

1. 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. 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. 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. 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; […].

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.

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