ENGLISH
REFERENCE

shave

v.
A2 Elementary US //ˈʃeɪv// UK //ʃˈeɪv// shave Archaic Informal Slang

v. to cut hair off your face or body very close to the skin using a razor.

v. to remove hair from the skin by cutting it close to the surface with a razor. Transitive when referring to the body part or intransitive when referring to the general act.


SIMPLE

He needs to shave before the wedding.

CONTEXTUAL

I usually shave my legs in the shower because it is much faster and easier.

COMPLEX

The swimmer decided to shave his entire body to reduce water resistance and improve his performance in the upcoming championship race.

Synonyms
Etymology 1

Inherited from Middle English shaven, schaven, from Old English sċafan (“to shave, scrape, shred, polish”), from Proto-West Germanic skaban, from Proto-Germanic skabaną (“to scrape”), from Proto-Indo-European *skabʰ- (“to cut, split, form, carve”). Cognate with West Frisian skave, Dutch schaven, Low German schaven, German schaben, Danish skave, Norwegian Nynorsk skava, Swedish skava, Icelandic skafa, Gothic 𐍃𐌺𐌰𐌱𐌰𐌽 (skaban), all roughly “to scrape, chafe, shave, plane, remove the outer lay of”.

Etymology 2

From Middle English shave, from Old English sceafa, from Proto-Germanic *skabô.

Usage

Can be used without an object to mean 'shave one's face'.

Pitfall

I am shaving my beard every morning.I shave my beard every morning.Learners often use the present continuous for habits; use the present simple for a regular grooming routine.

Idioms2 entries

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