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skiver

American  
[skahy-ver] / ˈskaɪ vər /

noun

  1. a person or thing that skives.

  2. a thin, soft leather made from sheepskin, used for hat linings and book bindings.

skiver 1 British  
/ ˈskaɪvə /

noun

  1. the tanned outer layer split from a skin

  2. a person, tool, or machine that skives

"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
skiver 2 British  
/ ˈskaɪvə /

noun

  1. slang a person who persistently avoids work or responsibility

"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

Etymology

Origin of skiver

First recorded in 1790–1800; skive + -er 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

If a university does not produce the occasional eloquent skiver, or unquenchably verbal time-waster, it is not fulfilling its true end.

From The Guardian • Sep. 26, 2020

Morocco Leather Reviver.—The coverings of chairs or sofas in morocco, roan, or skiver can be much improved by this reviver.

From French Polishing and Enamelling A Practical Work of Instruction by Bitmead, Richard

Very thin skiver used as labels on which to gild lettering.

From Library Bookbinding by Bailey, Arthur Low

The leathers in common use for bookbinding are:— Goatskin, known as morocco.Calf, known as calf and russia.Sheepskin, known as roan, basil, skiver, &c.Pigskin, known as pigskin.Sealskin, known as seal.

From Bookbinding, and the Care of Books A handbook for Amateurs, Bookbinders & Librarians by Rooke, Noel

Objects from Sell Cave. a, Pestles or grinding stones; b, celt, pottery disks, paint stones, and skiver 46 17.

From Archeological Investigations Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin 76 by Fowke, Gerard

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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