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shave

[sheyv]
verb (used without object), shaved, shaved or (especially in combination) shav·en, shav·ing.
  1. to remove a growth of beard with a razor.
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verb (used with object), shaved, shaved or (especially in combination) shav·en, shav·ing.
  1. to remove hair from (the face, legs, etc.) by cutting it off close to the skin with a razor.
  2. to cut off (hair, especially the beard) close to the skin with a razor (often followed by off or away).
  3. to cut or scrape away the surface of with a sharp-edged tool: to shave hides in preparing leather.
  4. to reduce to shavings or thin slices: to shave wood.
  5. to cut or trim closely: to shave a lawn.
  6. to scrape, graze, or come very near to: The car just shaved the garage door.
  7. Commerce. to purchase (a note) at a rate of discount greater than is legal or customary.
  8. to reduce or deduct from: The store shaved the price of winter suits in the spring.
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noun
  1. the act, process, or an instance of shaving or being shaved.
  2. a thin slice; a shaving.
  3. any of various tools for shaving, scraping, removing thin slices, etc.
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Origin of shave

before 900; (v.) Middle English schaven, schafen, Old English sc(e)afan; cognate with Dutch schaven to plane (a plank), abrade (the skin), Low German schaven, German schaben, Old Norse skafa to scrape, Gothic skaban to shear, shave; (noun) Middle English schave tool for shaving, Old English sc(e)afa, derivative of the v.
Related formsshav·a·ble, shave·a·ble, adjectivere·shave, verb re·shaved, re·shav·ing.un·shav·a·ble, adjectiveun·shave·a·ble, adjectiveun·shaved, adjectivewell-shaved, adjective

Synonyms

7. brush, glance, touch.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

trimparekissshredskimbrushslashshearprunecutpeelclipstripdecorticatecropgrazeplanebarberskintouch

Examples from the Web for shaved

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • He crossed the ferry and went to the hotel, where he shaved and freshened himself.

    The Spenders

    Harry Leon Wilson

  • If he was shaved to-morrow, I'd engage you'd see it fast enough.

  • "Say rather an ass, shaved and painted to resemble a zebra," muttered John.

    Homeward Bound

    James Fenimore Cooper

  • He also shaved and cut the hair of the village, a trade learned by him when he was in the army.

    A Zola Dictionary

    J. G. Patterson

  • The upper lip was shaved, and the eyebrows were heavy and grayish black.

    Cap'n Warren's Wards

    Joseph C. Lincoln

British Dictionary definitions for shaved

shave

verb shaves, shaving, shaved, shaved or shaven (mainly tr)
  1. (also intr) to remove (the beard, hair, etc) from (the face, head, or body) by scraping the skin with a razor
  2. to cut or trim very closely
  3. to reduce to shavings
  4. to remove thin slices from (wood, etc) with a sharp cutting tool; plane or pare
  5. to touch or graze in passing
  6. informal to reduce (a price) by a slight amount
  7. US commerce to purchase (a commercial paper) at a greater rate of discount than is customary or legal
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noun
  1. the act or an instance of shaving
  2. any tool for scraping
  3. a thin slice or shaving
  4. an instance of barely touching something
  5. close shave informal a narrow escape
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Derived Formsshavable or shaveable, adjective

Word Origin

Old English sceafan; related to Old Norse skafa, Gothic skaban to shave, Latin scabere to scrape
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for shaved

shave

v.

Old English sceafan (strong verb, past tense scof, past participle scafen), "to scrape, shave, polish," from Proto-Germanic *skaban (cf. Old Norse skafa, Middle Dutch scaven, German schaben, Gothic skaban "scratch, shave, scrape"), from PIE *skabh-, collateral form of root *(s)kep- "to cut, to scrape, to hack" (see scabies). Related: Shaved; shaving. Original strong verb status is preserved in past tense form shaven. Specifically in reference to cutting the hair close from mid-13c. Figurative sense of "to strip (someone) of money or possessions" is attested from late 14c.

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shave

n.

c.1600, "something shaved off;" from shave (v.); Old English sceafa meant "tool for shaving." Meaning "operation of shaving" is from 1838. Meaning "a grazing touch" is recorded from 1834. Phrase a close shave is from 1856, on notion of "a slight, grazing touch."

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Idioms and Phrases with shaved

shave

see close call (shave).

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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.