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, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
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
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Medical definitions for shaft
shaft
[ shăft ]
n.
An elongated rodlike structure, such as the midsection of a long bone.
The section of a hair projecting from the surface of the body.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.