Crossword Dictionary

What's The Definition Of Shave?

\Shave\, obs. p. p. of {Shave}. --Chaucer. His beard was shave as nigh as ever he can. --Chaucer.
\Shave\, v. t. [imp. {Shaved};p. p. {Shaved} or {Shaven}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Shaving}.] [OE. shaven, schaven, AS. scafan, sceafan; akin to D. schaven, G. schaben, Icel. skafa, Sw. skafva, Dan. skave, Goth. scaban, Russ. kopate to dig, Gr. ????, and probably to L. scabere to scratch, to scrape. Cf. {Scab}, {Shaft}, {Shape}.] 1. To cut or pare off from the surface of a body with a razor or other edged instrument; to cut off closely, as with a razor; as, to shave the beard. 2. To make bare or smooth by cutting off closely the surface, or surface covering, of; especially, to remove the hair from with a razor or other sharp instrument; to take off the beard or hair of; as, to shave the face or the crown of the head; he shaved himself. I'll shave your crown for this. --Shak. The laborer with the bending scythe is seen Shaving the surface of the waving green. --Gay. 3. To cut off thin slices from; to cut in thin slices. Plants bruised or shaven in leaf or root. --Bacon. 4. To skim along or near the surface of; to pass close to, or touch lightly, in passing. Now shaves with level wing the deep. --Milton. 5. To strip; to plunder; to fleece. [Colloq.] {To shave a note}, to buy it at a discount greater than the legal rate of interest, or to deduct in discounting it more than the legal rate allows. [Cant, U.S.]
\Shave\, v. i. To use a razor for removing the beard; to cut closely; hence, to be hard and severe in a bargain; to practice extortion; to cheat.
\Shave\, n. [AS. scafa, sceafa, a sort of knife. See {Shave}, v. t.] 1. A thin slice; a shaving. --Wright. 2. A cutting of the beard; the operation of shaving. 3. (a) An exorbitant discount on a note. [Cant, U.S.] (b) A premium paid for an extension of the time of delivery or payment, or for the right to vary a stock contract in any particular. [Cant, U.S.] --N. Biddle. 4. A hand tool consisting of a sharp blade with a handle at each end; a drawing knife; a spokeshave. 5. The act of passing very near to, so as almost to graze; as, the bullet missed by a close shave. [Colloq.] {Shave grass} (Bot.), the scouring rush. See the Note under {Equisetum}. {Shave hook}, a tool for scraping metals, consisting of a sharp-edged triangular steel plate attached to a shank and handle.