Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A flatbottom open boat of shallow draft, having a pointed bow and a square stern and propelled by oars, sail, or motor.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. Formerly, a small sailing vessel resembling a sloop.
- n. Now, a small boat propelled by oars.
- To sail upon or pass over in a skiff or light boat.
- Oblique; distorted; awkward.
Wiktionary
- n. A small flat-bottomed open boat with a pointed bow and square stern.
- n. Any of various types of boats small enough for sailing or rowing by one person.
- n. A light wind/rain/snow, etc.
- n. slang Used when referring to anyone (typically rednecks and fishermen) who has a degree of intelligence, but believes they are more than they actually are.
- v. To navigate in a skiff.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. A small, light boat.
- v. rare To navigate in a skiff.
WordNet 3.0
- n. any of various small boats propelled by oars or by sails or by a motor
Etymologies
- From Middle French esquif, from Old Italian schifo ("small boat"), from Lombardic *skif (“boat”), from Proto-Germanic *skipan (“boat, ship”), from Proto-Indo-European *skei- (“to split, cut”). Cognate with Old High German skif ("boat, ship"), Old English scip ("small craft, boat"). More at ship. (Wiktionary)
- Middle English skif, from Old French esquif, from Old Italian schifo, of Germanic origin. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“At first, I thought it was a small boat, the word skiff derived from the Germanic schif, akin to ship.”
Simon & Schuster: The Right Word in the Right Place at the Right Time
“That 14 foot flat skiff is not very different from my boat.”
“My boat, a scraped and dented 14 foot aluminum skiff is named "The Nutmeg of Consolation" in honor of Mr. Patrick O'Brian who authored one of the best serial sea stories every written.”
“The “little” guy with the skiff is still going to be feeding his family with the money he makes from the big EVIL businessman.”
Democrats declare war on West Virginia. Again. - Moe_Lane’s blog - RedState
“The boat, which I judged a small skiff from the quick stroke of the oars, was landing in the mud about fifty yards up the beach.”
“The skiff, which is always perverse, is pounding against the barnacles on the piles which threaten to scrape its gunwale off.”
“Beside the skiff was a red canoe, beached and lying on its starboard side.”
“The attack on the skiff was the last great effort of the fish, and though he still swam strongly he could be controlled.”
“I lost no time in calling a skiff alongside; then, shaking the dust from off my feet, I was soon pulling away for the shore.”
Lands of the Slave and the Free Cuba, the United States, and Canada
“The skiff was a hundred yards out on the glassy sea when Crump spoke cunningly, "I knowed something ----”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘skiff’.
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GRE Barrons Wordlist
A complete Barron's Wordlist for GRE preparation. Your online flashcard replacement.
abase, abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abject, abjure and 4087 more...
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Gene Wolfe
Please contribute your favorite words from any of Gene Wolfe’s books to this prize-winning list.
In case you come across words in this list which are too commonplace to fit in, please ...gallipot, roost, badelaire, oblesque, execration, dhole, amschaspand, arctother, chalcedony, penitence, asimi, autarch and 839 more...
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Craigslist - stuff for sale
Random items from the Craigslist For Sale section. The poetry of stuff.
mooring rope, fluke anchor, skiff, massage books, marijuana law, 30 lbs of dog food, free geckoes, free dirt, chinchilla cage, binders - german ..., ruby lith film, sun tanning bed and 130 more...
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Interesting words
A list of words that are odd or words that I have looked up.
concupiscence, brize, scree, scoria, forestaff, spanaemia, valetudinarianism, distasture, pyrethrum, laudanum, gentian, bicameral and 11250 more...
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Out to Sea
If I had a boat
I'd go out on the ocean
And if I had a pony
I'd ride him on my boat
And we could all together
Go out on the ocean
Me upon my pony on my boat.boat, ship, skiff, barge, canoe, catamaran, yacht, scow, lifeboat, launch, ketch, dory and 303 more...
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Nautical Words
lubber, mizzenmast, circumnavigation, clipper, cordage, galleon, gangplank, gangway, flying bridge, following sea, schooner, amidships and 106 more...
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Notre Dame de Paris
From Notre Dame de Paris by good ole Victor Hugo. (Also called The Hunchback of Notre Dame.)
cuivres, diable, hawthorn, provost, epithalamium, affrighted, mendicants, vagrants, Styx, chimeras, coif, matagrabolise and 196 more...
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deidionysus's list
Words, words, words!
cartesian, shavian, dithyramb, dreadnaught, lea, adamantine, titanomachy, theomachy, aethereal, ambrosia, ambrosial, aether and 183 more...
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huck finnian
ain't, stretchers, without, sivilize, hogshead, victuals, bulrushers, tolerable, goggles, middling, reckoned, who-whooing and 287 more...
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Gaw
Words for things both tangible and anthropic. I'm in the process of spinning off hardware into ute, and people into oofy.
cum-twang, naumachia, yngling, juggernaught, bliss ninny, iliac crest, moistened bint, slumlord, spondoolies, classy lady, charnel house, electrodoméstico and 334 more...
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Alaska
Names of places, animals, plants, people, etc. found in and around Alaska.
koyukon, chinook, coho, sockeye, king salmon, chum, dog salmon, kipper, kelt, baggit, samlet, parr and 225 more...
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random
words I read but don't know
nascent, proxy, desultory, charlatan, churlish, emaciated, gaudy, shill, lurid, frisson, marauding, plunder and 610 more...
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Red Seas Under Red Skies
Words and phrase from Scott Lynch's book, Red Seas Under Red Skies.
legate, pugnacity, weevil, steady as a dry-d..., chit, sans, apprise, forfend, ken, expatriate, enclave, scrubs and 220 more...
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and Bristol fashion
being items related to boats, ships, sailing, nautical and naval lore &c.
sloop, frigate, brigantine, brig, grog, schooner, rig, sail, canvas, jib, forestay, cutter and 150 more...
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GRE 3500 S
saccharine, sacrilegious, sacrosanct, sagacious, sage, salient, salutary, salvo, sanctimonious, sanguine, sap, sardonic and 138 more...
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big book gre
abase, abbess, abbey, abbot, abdicate, abdomen, abdominal, abduction, abed, aberration, abet, abeyance and 6691 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for skiff.
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