skift

Noun

skift (plural skifts)

1. (Appalachia) A light dusting of snow.
   • 2010, Mark Parman, A Grouse Hunter’s Almanac: The Other Kind of Hunting (page 84)

     A skift of snow had fallen overnight on the ski trails, and Paul had yet to groom them and erase the tracks in the new snow.

Etymology

Old Norse skipta (verb) and Old Norse skipti (noun), from Proto-Germanic *skiftijaną.

Noun

skift (plural skifts)

1. share, portion, lot

   There be many knyghtes that hath envy to us; Therefore whan we shall mete at the day of justis there woll be harde skyffte for us. — Malory

1. fate
2. effort, attempt, try

   Make ye as good skyffte as ye can, ye shall bere this lady with you on horsebak unto the Pope of Rome. — Malory

Verb

skift (third-person singular simple present skifteth, present participle skiftende, simple past and past participle skifted)

1. To divide, share, distribute, divide up; also, be divided
2. To disperse, scatter ~ in sonder,
3. To give a fair share ~ even,

   even skifted, evenly matched in number, in equal strength

4. To arrange, ordain, cause to occur, rule, manage

   Grete godd wolde so wisely skifte all thynges. — The Prose Life of Alexander

5. To protect, save
6. To evade, be rid of.

   be skifted of, She was aferde of hym..and she cowde not be skyfte … of hym by no meane. — Malory

Etymology 1

From the verb skifte

Etymology 2

References

• “skift” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Etymology

From the verb skifte

Noun

skift n (definite singular skiftet, indefinite plural skift, definite plural skifta)

1. a change (e.g. of clothes)
2. a shift (at work, in employment)

Verb

skift

1. imperative of skifta

References

• “skift” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Noun

skift n

1. shift

Noun

skift n (plural skiften)

1. order (taxonomy)