shaver

See also: Shaver

English

Etymology

From Middle English schaver; equivalent to shave +‎ -er.

In its meaning of a boy, lad, recorded since 1592, the word shaver has also been postulated to derive from Romani chavo (“young man”), which also gives us the modern slang chav, ultimately derived from Sanskrit छा (chā, “young animal”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: shāʹvər
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈʃeɪvə/
  • (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈʃeɪvɚ/

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪvə(ɹ)

Noun

shaver (plural shavers)

1. One who shaves.
2. A barber, one whose occupation is to shave.
3. A tool or machine for shaving; an electric razor.
4. (slang, obsolete) An extortionate bargainer; a sharper.
   • 1723, John Arbuthnot, letter to Jonathan Swift:

     The shaver is an honest friendly man as before: he has a good deal to do to smother his Welsh fire, which, you know, he has in a greater degree than some would imagine. He posts himself a good part of the year in some warm house, wins the ladies money at ombre, and convinces them, that they are highly obliged to him.

5. One who fleeces; a pillager; a plunderer.
   • 1603, Richard Knolles, The Generall Historie of the Turkes, […], London: […] Adam Islip, →OCLC:

     By these shavers the Turks were stripped.

6. (colloquial) A boy; a lad; a little fellow.
   • 1860 December – 1861 August, Charles Dickens, chapter V, in Great Expectations […], volume I, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published October 1861, →OCLC, page 62:

     "Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen," said the sergeant, "but as I have mentioned at the door to this young shaver" (which he hadn't), "I am on a chase in the name of the King, and I want the blacksmith."

Derived terms

• electric shaver
• note shaver
• pod shaver

 

Translations

one who shaves

• Bulgarian: бръсна́р (bg) m (brǎsnár)
• Finnish: parran ajaja, karvojen ajaja
• Russian: брадобре́й (ru) m (bradobréj)

barber — see barber

electric razor

• Afrikaans: scheerapparaat
• Arabic: آلَة حِلَاقَة f (ʔālat ḥilāqa), مَاكِينَة حِلَاقَة f (mākīnat ḥilāqa)
• Armenian: էլեկտրաածելի (hy) (ēlektraaceli)
• Belarusian: электрабры́тва f (eljektrabrýtva), бры́тва f (brýtva)
• Bulgarian: самобръсна́чка f (samobrǎsnáčka)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 剃鬚刀／剃须刀 (zh) (tìxūdāo)

• Czech: holicí strojek m
• Danish: barbermaskine (da) c
• Dutch: scheerapparaat (nl) n
• Estonian: pardel (et)
• Finnish: sähköparranajokone (fi), partakone (fi)
• French: rasoir (fr) m, rasoir électrique (fr) m
• Georgian: ელექტროსაპარსი (elekṭrosaṗarsi)
• German: Rasierapparat (de) m, Elektrorasierer (de) m
• Greek: ξυριστική μηχανή (el) f (xyristikí michaní)
• Hungarian: borotva (hu), villanyborotva (hu)
• Indonesian: alat cukur, pencukur (id)
• Italian: rasoio (it) m, rasoio elettrico m
• Japanese: 剃刀 (ja) (かみそり, kamisori), 電動シェーバー (でんどうシェーバー, dendō shēbā), シェーバー (shēbā), 電動髭剃り (でんどうひげそり, dendō higesori), 電気髭剃り (でんきひげそり, denki higesori), 髭剃り (ひげそり, higesori)
• Korean: 면도기(面刀器) (ko) (myeondogi), 전기면도기(電氣面刀器) (jeon'gimyeondogi)
• Norman: râseux êlectrique m
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: barbermaskin m

• Persian: خودتراش برقی (xodtarâš-e barqi)
• Polish: golarka (pl) f
• Portuguese: barbeador m
• Romanian: mașină de ras f
• Russian: электробри́тва (ru) f (elektrobrítva), бри́тва (ru) f (brítva)
• Slovak: holiaci strojček m
• Slovene: brivnik m
• Spanish: maquinilla de afeitar f, máquina de afeitar f, afeitadora (es) f
• Swedish: rakapparat (sv) c
• Tagalog: tagapag-ahit
• Turkish: tıraş makinesi (tr)
• Ukrainian: електробри́тва f (elektrobrýtva), бри́тва (uk) f (brýtva)
• Uzbek: ustara (uz), elektr ustara

sharper — see sharper

pillager — see pillager

boy — see boy

References

• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “shaver”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
• Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary, Springfield, Massachusetts, G.&C. Merriam Co., 1967

Anagrams

• Havers, havers