skiff

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noun

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

Origin:
1565–75; < early Italian schifo < Old High German scif ship

Related forms

skiff·less, adjective

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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To skiff

Collins

World English Dictionary

skiff (skɪf)

—n
	any of various small boats propelled by oars, sail, or motor

[C18: from French esquif, from Old Italian schifo a boat, of Germanic origin; related to Old High German schifship]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Relevant Questions

00:10

Skiff is a GRE word you need to know.

So is splice. Does it mean:

narrow rocky ravine

To join together or unite two ropes or parts of a rope by the interweaving of strands.

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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

skiff

"small boat," 1575, from Fr. esquif (1549), from It. schifo "little boat," from a Gmc. source (e.g. O.H.G. scif "boat;" see ship (n.)). Originally the small boat of a ship.

Example sentences

Your boat taxi will ferry you and your gear to shore in a small open skiff.

Over the years, he made some subtle but important changes to the skiff's design

to meet the changing needs of lifeguards.

Also, a life saving skiff must be immediately available.

During the repairs, his skiff broke loose from the harvesting vessel and began

to drift in rough waters.

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Related Words

caravel dory skiff funny

grapnel johnboat wherry

Matching Quote

"Two men in a skiff, whom we passed hereabouts, floating buoyantly amid the reflections of the trees, like a feather in mid-air, or a leaf which is wafted gently from its twig to the water without turning over, seemed still in their element, and to have very delicately availed themselves of the natural laws. Their floating there was a beautiful and successful experiment in natural philosophy, and it served to ennoble in our eyes the art of navigation; for as birds fly and fishes swim, so these men sailed. It reminded us how much fairer and nobler all the actions of man might be, and that our life in its whole economy might be as beautiful as the fairest works of art or nature."

-Henry David Thoreau