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A skiff is a small, light boat, often for one person, moved with oars or a small sail, usually close to shore. Think of a quiet river, a harbour, or an old story — not a ferry, and not a ship.
A skiff Skiff is是 a small, light boat一種小而輕的船 often for one person通常只坐一個人 moved with oars or a small sail靠槳或小帆划動 usually close to shore通常在靠近岸邊的地方使用。 Think of想像一下 a quiet river, a harbour, or an old story安靜的河流、港口，或老故事裡的場景 — not a ferry不是渡輪 and not a ship也不是大船。
The word is a little old-fashioned in city chat; many people would just say small boat. In harbours, books, and some water sports it is still the right name.
The word這個字 is a little old-fashioned in city chat在都市裡的日常對話中有點過時 many people would just say small boat很多人就直接說 small boat（小船）。 In harbours, books, and some water sports在港口、書本，還有一些水上運動裡 it is still the right name它仍然是正確的名稱。
Though actually, skiff and ship are distant twins. They come from the same old Germanic word for a boat, but skiff travelled through Italian and French before it settled in English, which is why the two no longer look like family.
Though actually不過 skiff and ship are distant twins skiff 和 ship 其實是遠親。 They它們 come from the same old Germanic word for a boat都來自同一個古日耳曼語的「船」字 but skiff travelled through Italian and French before it settled in English但 skiff 是先經過義大利文和法文才落腳英文的 which is why the two no longer look like family這也是為什麼兩個字現在看起來不太像親戚。
There is a rare verb, to skiff, meaning to go in a skiff; you will almost never need it.
There is a rare verb, to skiff還有一個很少見的動詞 to skiff meaning to go in a skiff意思是搭 skiff 出行 you will almost never need it你幾乎用不到。
組成From Middle English skif, from Middle French esquif, from Old Italian schifo “small boat,” from Lombardic skif, from Proto-Germanic *skipą “boat, ship.” It is a doublet of ship: same old root, different path into English.
同家族的字
- shipthe same old Germanic “boat” word, arrived by another road (a doublet)
原始詞典資料9 筆記錄
以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，原文照列，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。
Skiffname
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A surname.
skiffnoun詞源 1/skɪf/
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A small flat-bottomed open boat with a pointed bow and square stern.
- Old Applegate, in the stern, just set and looked at me, and Lord James, amidship, waved both arms and kept hollering for help. I took a couple of everlasting big strokes and managed to grab hold of the skiff's rail, close to the stern.
- As Hiro is entering their neighborhood, he sees men running down the undulating pontoon bridge that serves as the main street, carrying guns and knives. The local constabulary. More men of the same description emerge from the byways and skiffs and sampans, joining them.
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Any of various types of boats small enough for sailing or rowing by one person.
- I went alone into a Shepherd's boat, A skiff that to a willow-tree was tied Within a rocky cave, its usual home […]
- Graceful old houses stand by the edge of the Great Ouse and gaze down at the houseboats, skiffs and motor-cruisers that moor there.
skiffverb詞源 1/skɪf/
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nauticaltransportTo navigate in a skiff.
skiffnoun詞源 2/skɪf/
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A light, fleeting shower of rain or snow, or gust of wind, etc.
- A skiff of rain blew into the shed and the two men moved their chairs back.
- A little on again, off again, skiff of rain made the road slippery in spots.
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A (typically light) dusting of snow or ice (or dust, etc) (on ground, water, trees, etc).
- At sunrise there was a slight skiff of ice on some water in a bucket; […]
- There was a light skiff of snow on the ground. The air was filled with flying flakes, which stung his cheeks sharply. A little streak of red was beginning to show in the east, and somewhere, far away, he heard a chicken crow sleepily.
skiffverb詞源 2/skɪf/
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dialectalTo fall lightly or briefly, and lightly cover the ground (etc).
- We must be constantly alert to increased accident potentials in taxiing, takeoff, and landings on ice-glazed and snow-skiffed runways.
- The sharp wind divides the dense fur of their winter coats while they survey the snow-skiffed ground of their silent town.
skiffnoun詞源 3/skɪf/
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An act of slightly pruning tea bushes, placing new leaves at a convenient height without removing much woody growth.
- In the fourth year, "light skiff" pruning removes just the uppermost growth.
- The sequence of the 3-year pruning cycle is light pruning; light skiff; and deep skiff[…]
skiffverb詞源 3/skɪf/
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To cut (a tea bush) to maintain the plucking table.
- Skiffing is the lightest form of pruning involving as it does removal of a certain amount of growth above the previous pruning level.
資料來源：英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary（CC BY-SA 4.0）。 原文照列，未經改寫。