Skiff
/skɪf/noun
A small, light boat used for rowing or sailing.
Did you know?English skiff ultimately comes from Old French esquif, a nautical loanword from Italian and Greek, showing how seafaring vocabulary often traveled faster than empires.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
skáphē
“a boat, skiff, or hollow vessel”
Medieval Latin
Latin
scapha
“a small boat or vessel”
Old Italian
Italian
schifo
“a small boat”
Old French
Old French
esquif
“a small boat, skiff”
14th Century
English
skif
“a small boat”
Modern English
English
skiff
“a small light boat”