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shaft
[ shaft, shahft ]
/ ʃæft, ʃɑft /
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noun
verb (used with object)
to push or propel with a pole: to shaft a boat through a tunnel.
Slang. to treat in a harsh, unfair, or treacherous manner.
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Origin of shaft
First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English sceaft; cognate with German Schaft; compare Latin scāpus “shaft,” Greek skêptronscepter
OTHER WORDS FROM shaft
shaftless, adjectiveshaftlike, adjectivesubshaft, nounun·shaft·ed, adjectiveWords nearby shaft
Shadwell, shady, SHAEF, Shaffer, Shafiʿi, shaft, shaft alley, Shaftesbury, shaft feather, shaft grave, shaft horsepower
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use shaft in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for shaft
shaft
/ (ʃɑːft) /
noun
verb
slang to have sexual intercourse with (a woman)
slang to trick or cheat
Word Origin for shaft
Old English sceaft; related to Old Norse skapt, German Schaft, Latin scāpus shaft, Greek skeptron sceptre, Lettish skeps javelin
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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