skiff

[ skif ]

/ skɪf /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR skiff ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

any of various types of boats small enough for sailing or rowing by one person.

RELATED WORDS

dinghy, canoe, rowboat

Nearby words

Origin of skiff

1565–75; < early Italian schifo < Old High German scif ship¹

Related formsskiff·less, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for skiff

Kennedy now came alongside in the skiff, bringing a warp-line from the shore, by which the Maud was hauled up to the wharf.
The Yacht Club|Oliver Optic
He wrapped the remains of the turkey in a paper, depositing it in a covered metal container in the bottom of the skiff.
Swamp Island|Mildred A. Wirt
I've had an alligator roll up against a skiff and pretty near come aboard after I'd harpooned it.
Dick in the Everglades|A. W. Dimock
They had run into nominally still water, and the skiff was losing momentum.
Aladdin O'Brien|Gouverneur Morris

We were out in a skiff yesterday and the little boat got to leaking so badly that we both of us had to stay in the water.
The Go Ahead Boys on Smugglers' Island|Ross Kay

British Dictionary definitions for skiff

skiff

/ (skɪf) /

noun

any of various small boats propelled by oars, sail, or motor

Word Origin for skiff

C18: from French esquif, from Old Italian schifo a boat, of Germanic origin; related to Old High German schif ship

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 skiff

skiff

"small boat," 1570s, from French esquif (1540s), from Italian schifo "little boat," from a Germanic source (e.g. Old High German scif "boat;" see ship (n.)). Originally the small boat of a ship.