name
Meaning 1
A surname.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
skiff
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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/skɪf/
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Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -ɪf
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homophone: SCIF
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CMU ARPABET: S K IH1 F Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
A small flat-bottomed open boat with a pointed bow and square stern.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
Any of various types of boats small enough for sailing or rowing by one person.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
A light, fleeting shower of rain or snow, or gust of wind, etc.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- A skiff of rain blew into the shed and the two men moved their chairs back.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 5
A (typically light) dusting of snow or ice (or dust, etc) (on ground, water, trees, etc).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 6
An act of slightly pruning tea bushes, placing new leaves at a convenient height without removing much woody growth.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 7
To navigate in a skiff.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Topics: nautical, transport
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 8
To fall lightly or briefly, and lightly cover the ground (etc).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: dialectal
Examples
- 1983, Roy McFadden, The Selected Roy McFadden, Dundonald, N. Ireland : Blackstaff Press With glimpses through the skiffing rain / Of Donegal across the bay, / And Scotland when the early mist is blown, [...]
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 9
To cut (a tea bush) to maintain the plucking table.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 10
any of various small boats propelled by oars or by sails or by a motor
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: small boat
Narrower terms: sampan
History
Etymology
From Middle English skif, from Middle French esquif, from Old Italian schifo (“small boat”), from Lombardic skif (“boat”), from Proto-Germanic *skipą (“boat, ship”). Doublet of ship.
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.
Across languages
Translations
33 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Bulgarian: скиф (skif) — Any of various types of boats small enough for sailing or rowing by one person
- Catalan: esquif — Any of various types of boats small enough for sailing or rowing by one person
- Chinese Mandarin: 舟 (zhōu) — Any of various types of boats small enough for sailing or rowing by one person
- Czech: skif — Any of various types of boats small enough for sailing or rowing by one person
- Czech: jednomístný člun — Any of various types of boats small enough for sailing or rowing by one person
- Dutch: skiff — Any of various types of boats small enough for sailing or rowing by one person
- Dutch: roeiboot — Any of various types of boats small enough for sailing or rowing by one person
- Finnish: jolla — Any of various types of boats small enough for sailing or rowing by one person
- French: esquif — Any of various types of boats small enough for sailing or rowing by one person
- French: barque — Any of various types of boats small enough for sailing or rowing by one person
- Galician: esquife — Any of various types of boats small enough for sailing or rowing by one person
- Galician: chalana — Any of various types of boats small enough for sailing or rowing by one person
- German: Skiff — Any of various types of boats small enough for sailing or rowing by one person
- Greek: ακάτιο (akátio) — Any of various types of boats small enough for sailing or rowing by one person
- Greek: πριάρι (priári) — Any of various types of boats small enough for sailing or rowing by one person
- Ancient Greek: λέμβος (lémbos) — Any of various types of boats small enough for sailing or rowing by one person
- Ancient Greek: σκαφίδιον (skaphídion) — Any of various types of boats small enough for sailing or rowing by one person
- Ido: bateleto — Any of various types of boats small enough for sailing or rowing by one person
- Irish: scif — Any of various types of boats small enough for sailing or rowing by one person
- Italian: barca — Any of various types of boats small enough for sailing or rowing by one person
- Italian: lancia — Any of various types of boats small enough for sailing or rowing by one person
- Latin: linter — Any of various types of boats small enough for sailing or rowing by one person
- Latin: scapha — Any of various types of boats small enough for sailing or rowing by one person
- Persian: زورق (zowraq) — Any of various types of boats small enough for sailing or rowing by one person
- Plautdietsch: Boot (nds) — Any of various types of boats small enough for sailing or rowing by one person
- Russian: я́лик (jálik) — Any of various types of boats small enough for sailing or rowing by one person
- Scottish Gaelic: sgoth — Any of various types of boats small enough for sailing or rowing by one person
- Serbo-Croatian: скиф (skif) — Any of various types of boats small enough for sailing or rowing by one person
- Serbo-Croatian: skif — Any of various types of boats small enough for sailing or rowing by one person
- Spanish: batel — Any of various types of boats small enough for sailing or rowing by one person
- Spanish: esquife — Any of various types of boats small enough for sailing or rowing by one person
- Ukrainian: я́лик (jályk) — Any of various types of boats small enough for sailing or rowing by one person
- Welsh: sgiff — Any of various types of boats small enough for sailing or rowing by one person