Skiff (noun)
sk-if
A light rowing boat or sculling boat, typically for one person.
Late 15th century from French esquif, from Italian schifo, of Germanic origin; related to ship.
(Scots) A flurry or light covering of snow.
Early 18th century (as verb meaning ‘to move lightly and quickly’): perhaps an alteration of earlier skift, or from scuff.
Example sentences
“Having built the skiff, they took to the water.”
“Nothing but a skiff of snow on the rooftops.”
Steadfast (adj) sted-fast Firm in purpose, resolution, faith, attachment. First recorded before 1000 and comes from the Middle English word stedefast, from Old English stedefæst. (more…)
Motte (noun) mot (historic)a mound forming the site of a castle or camp. late 19th century: from French, ‘mound’, from Old French mote (see moat). (more…)
Plash (noun) plash A gentle splash. / A pool or puddle. First recorded before 1000; Middle English plasch “pool, puddle,” Old English plæsc; cognate with Dutch, Low German plas, probably…
Fulgurate (verb) gul-guyr-ayt To flash and dart like lightning. 1670–80; Latin fulgurātus, past participle of fulgurāre to flash, glitter, lighten, derivative of fulgur flash of lightning (more…)
Eustress (noun) yoo-stres Physical, mental, or emotional tension that is caused by something positive or is psychologically or physically beneficial. First recorded in 1965–70 and comes from the Greek prefix…
Heterogeneous (adj) het-er-oh-jeen-yus Different in kind; unlike; incongruous. Composed of parts of different kinds; having widely dissimilar elements or constituents 1615–25; Medieval Latin (more…)
Hodgepodge (adj) hodj-podj A random mixture; a jumble. First recorded in 1615–25; variant of hotchpotch (more…)
Primordial (adj) pry-mawd-ee-al constituting a beginning; giving origin to something derived or developed; original. First recorded around 1350–1400 and comes via Middle English from the Late Latin word prīmōrdiālis, meaning…