shave Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun the act of removing hair with a razor
    shaving.
  2. verb remove body hair with a razor
  3. verb cut closely
    trim.
    • trim my beard
  4. verb cut the price of
    knock off.
  5. verb cut or remove with or as if with a plane
    plane.
    • The machine shaved off fine layers from the piece of wood
  6. verb make shavings of or reduce to shavings
    • shave the radish
  7. verb touch the surface of lightly
    • His back shaved the counter in passing

WordNet

Shave
Definitions
  1. obs. p. p. of Shave. Chaucer.
    His beard was shave as nigh as ever he can. Chaucer.
Shave transitive verb
Etymology
OE. shaven, schaven, AS. scafan, sceafan; akin to D. schaven, G. schaben, Icel. skafa, Sw. skafva, Dan. skave, Goth. scaban, Russ. kopate to dig, Gr. , and probably to L. scabere to scratch, to scrape. Cf. Scab, Shaft, Shape.
Wordforms
imperfect Shaved ;past participle Shaved or Shaven ; present participle & verbal noun Shaving
Definitions
  1. To cut or pare off from the surface of a body with a razor or other edged instrument; to cut off closely, as with a razor; as, to shave the beard.
  2. To make bare or smooth by cutting off closely the surface, or surface covering, of; especially, to remove the hair from with a razor or other sharp instrument; to take off the beard or hair of; as, to shave the face or the crown of the head; he shaved himself.
    I'll shave your crown for this. Shak.
    The laborer with the bending scythe is seen Shaving the surface of the waving green. Gay.
  3. To cut off thin slices from; to cut in thin slices.
    Plants bruised or shaven in leaf or root. Bacon.
  4. To skim along or near the surface of; to pass close to, or touch lightly, in passing.
    Now shaves with level wing the deep. Milton.
  5. To strip; to plunder; to fleece. Colloq.
Shave intransitive verb
Definitions
  1. To use a razor for removing the beard; to cut closely; hence, to be hard and severe in a bargain; to practice extortion; to cheat.
Shave noun
Etymology
AS. scafa, sceafa, a sort of knife. See Shave, v. t.
Definitions
  1. A thin slice; a shaving. Wright.
  2. A cutting of the beard; the operation of shaving.
  3. (a) An exorbitant discount on a note. Cant, U.S. (b) A premium paid for an extension of the time of delivery or payment, or for the right to vary a stock contract in any particular. Cant, U.S. N. Biddle.
  4. A hand tool consisting of a sharp blade with a handle at each end; a drawing knife; a spokeshave.
  5. The act of passing very near to, so as almost to graze; as, the bullet missed by a close shave. Colloq.

Webster 1913