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skiver

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skiver¹

  • /ˈskaɪvə/ UK
  • /ˈskaɪvəɹ/ US

Rhymes with -aɪvə(ɹ)

Where it comes from

From skive (“play truant”) + -er. Probably from French esquiver (“slink away”).

noun skivers

  1. Commonwealth, Ireland, UK, informal A slacker.
  2. Commonwealth, Ireland, UK, informal A truant; one who is absent without permission, especially from school.

skiver²

  • /ˈskaɪvə/ UK
  • /ˈskaɪvəɹ/ US

Rhymes with -aɪvə(ɹ)

Where it comes from

From skive (“to shave”) + -er. Probably from Dutch schijf (“slice”), probably influenced by shive.

noun skivers

  1. Commonwealth, Ireland, UK, informal One who uses a skive (or skives).
  2. Commonwealth, Ireland, UK, dialectal, informal A skewer.
  3. Commonwealth, Ireland, UK, informal An inferior quality of leather, made of split sheepskin, tanned by immersion in sumac, and dyed, formerly used for hat linings, pocketbooks, bookbinding, etc.
  4. Commonwealth, Ireland, UK, informal The cutting tool or machine used in splitting leather or skins.

verb skivers · skivering · skivered

  1. Commonwealth, Ireland, UK, dialectal, informal To skewer, impale. […] it's I that wishes I could be sure 'twas malice, I'd skiver you, heels and elbows, on my sword, and roast you alive on that fire.

Skiver³

Where it comes from

Occupation surname, from skiver (“one who polishes diamonds”).

proper noun Skivers

  1. A surname.

Talk about this word

Cite this
MLA

"skiver." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/skiver. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

skiver. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/skiver

Chicago

"skiver." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/skiver.

BibTeX
@misc{skiver_2026,
  title = {skiver},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/skiver},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}