skiff1
/skɪf
/noun
A light rowing boat or sculling boat, typically for one person.Charles hurriedly had his friends assist him in launching his rowing skiff and went after the dolphins....
- They did not qualify, however, because the Scouts' canoes were not the sculling skiffs required by the rules.
- His boat is a small skiff with a 25 hp engine, which seriously limits how many people he can take out.
Origin
Late 15th century: from French esquif, from Italian schifo, of Germanic origin; related to ship1.
Rhymes
skiff2
/skɪf/noun North American & Scottish
A flurry or light covering of snow: a fresh skiff of snow lay on the ground...
- We were walking the land in late February, a skiff of snow still on the ground.
- The biting winds, freezing rain, and skiffs of snow felt like a judgment by God for some unfathomable sin.
- It was bitterly cold, with a thin skiff of snow holding down the dirt and dust of the streets.
Origin
Early 18th century (as verb meaning 'to move lightly and quickly'): perhaps an alteration of earlier skift, or from scuff.