skiff

Meanings

Noun

• A small flat-bottomed open boat with a pointed bow and square stern.
• Any of various types of boats small enough for sailing or rowing by one person.
• A light, fleeting shower of rain or snow, or gust of wind, etc.
• A (typically light) dusting of snow or ice (or dust, etc) (on ground, water, trees, etc).
• An act of slightly pruning tea bushes, placing new leaves at a convenient height without removing much woody growth.

Verb

• To navigate in a skiff.
• To fall lightly or briefly, and lightly cover the ground (etc).
• To cut (a tea bush) to maintain the plucking table.

Origin

• From Middle English skif, from Middle French esquif, from Old Italian schifo, from Langobardic skif, from Proto-Germanic *skipą. ship.
• From Scots skiff ("light shower of rain or snow"), from skiff; compare the derivative skiffle (whence English skiffle) and (English skift ("light dusting of snow") from) Scots skift ("light shower of snow"), from skift, perhaps related to shift/Old Norse skipta, or perhaps an onomatopoeic formation.