Skive
/skaɪv/noun
To avoid work or responsibility; to shirk or play truant.
Did you know?Its exact origin is uncertain, but English has long used it for dodging work, and related Scandinavian forms suggest the idea of cutting off or slashing away from obligation.
Etymological Timeline
19th Century
English
skive
“To avoid work, especially by truanting or loafing.”
19th Century
English
skive off
“To slip away from duty or responsibility.”
Scandinavian
North Germanic
skiva / skive
“A slice or piece; possibly linked to the notion of cutting or splitting.”
Old Norse
ON
skifa
“To split or slice (proposed related form in some etymological discussions).”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*skībaną / *skīfaną
“Possible ancestral forms connected with cutting or splitting, though the English slang sense remains uncertain.”