Skive

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈskaɪv/

Definitions

1. To deliberately avoid performing work or a duty by staying away without authorization
2. The act of shirking assigned tasks or responsibilities by being absent without a valid reason
3. Intentionally evading attendance or obligations to escape work or official duties

Etymology: The most striking thing about "skive" is that its two likeliest parents point in different directions: one is a Germanic word for being afraid, the other a Dutch word for a thin slice. Scholars favour the slice route for the sense "to shirk", but the sense of slinking away from a task has a plausible link to the first family. The first candidate runs through French and Spanish. Old French "eschiver" meant to shun or dodge, and it came from an East Germanic root meaning "afraid" or "shy", the same root that gave English "shy" and "eschew". Spanish "esquivar" meant to elude or avoid, and a sense of slipping away fits neatly with the idea of evading duty. The second candidate is the one most dictionaries prefer. Dutch "schijf" means slice, and the Germanic word "skībǭ" meant a shaving or slice, relating to German "Scheibe" and English "shive". The metalworking term "skive", which cuts thin layers from leather or metal, comes from this same line, and the idea of shaving off a portion of one's work fits the slang meaning.

Synonyms: shirk, evade

Antonyms: confront, face