Shive
/ʃaɪv/noun
A slice or splinter of something, especially a chip of wood or a thin piece of food.
Did you know?Shive is historically tied to the same old Germanic root that gave English words like sheath, shiver, and shovel, all circling around the idea of cutting, splitting, or scraping.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*skei-
“to cut, split, or separate”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*skīfaną
“to split, cleave, or divide”
Old English
OE
scīf
“a piece cut off; a slice or splinter”
Middle English
ME
shive
“a slice, chip, or splinter”
Modern English
English
shive
“a slice or splinter, especially of wood or food”