Shavers

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A device or tool designed for removing hair from the skin's surface through cutting or shaving
2. Instruments specifically created to achieve a smooth finish on facial hair or body hair
3. Items used for personal grooming that eliminate unwanted hair, often available in manual and electric forms

Etymology: "Shavers" is the plural of "shaver," and the tool sense is the older, plainer one: a shaver is simply something that shaves, built from the verb "shave" plus the suffix "-er," which turns an action into the agent that performs it. The word traces back to Middle English "schaver," so the core idea has been stable for centuries, even as the objects themselves changed dramatically. The surprise lies in a rival meaning. Since 1592, "shaver" has also meant a boy or lad, and some scholars have proposed that this sense comes from Romani "chavo," meaning "young man." That same root may be behind the modern British slang "chav," which in turn is ultimately linked to Sanskrit "chā," meaning "young animal." Whether the boy sense truly descends from Romani is a proposal rather than settled fact, so it is best read as a possibility.

Synonyms: razors