Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “shaving” come from?

Shaving comes from Middle English shaving, derived from Old English scafan, from Proto-Germanic skaubaz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European skabʰ-, meaning to scrape or cut.

shaving (English): A thin, shaved off slice of wood, metal, or other...

Definitions

  1. A thin, shaved off slice of wood, metal, or other...

Ancestry of “shaving”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishshaveTo make bald or shorter by using a tool such as a...
2Middle EnglishshaveA tool used for filing, shaving, or abrasion;...
3Old Englishsceafashave , plane, paring knife
4Proto-Germanicskaubazbundle, sheaf

Words derived from “shaving”

  • woodshaving
Every word from Proto-Germanic skaubaz →