Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)

Hide Quotations Hide Etymology

Abbreviations Cite this entry

About this entry:
First published 2000 (DOST Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

(Schave,) Schaif(f, v. Also: schawe, schaf, sheave. P.t. schufe, schwfe, schuif, shouife, schoif(f. P.p. s(c)hav-, s(c)haw-, schaiff-, scheav-, s(c)heaw-, schev- and -in, -yn(e, -(e)n, -ein; schavit, -et. [ME and e.m.E. shaue(n (Manning), schafe (a1450), p.t. scaeft, scaft (both Layamon), schoof (14th c.), shaued (Hoccleve), schoue (a1425), p.p. shauen (c1250), schauen (14th c.), (i-)schave (Trevisa), OE sceafan strong verb (sc(e)ōf, sc(e)afen).]

1. tr. To shave (the hair) (off the head, face or body) with, or as with, a razor. Also, to shave off.With and without const.(1) c1420 Wynt. iii 436.
Scho gert slely a barbare Off hys hevyd schawe all the hare Ib. v 1068.
He ordanyd clerkys wytht honowre To schawe [C. schaiff, W. schaif] thare berde and were tonsoure 1460 Hay Alex. 7696.
Gart schaif his berde and coll his lokkerand hare 14.. Orphius 139.
And with ane knyf thai schuif his hair 1630-1651 Gordon Geneal. Hist. 258 (see 3 pres. below).(2) c1420 Wynt. iii 430.
Gyve sevyn harys off his hewyde War schawyn off … He [sc. Samson] war … Bot as ane othir commoune man Ib. 444 (W).
Scho … gert [slely] get a barbour And schufe of all his haire 15.. Clar. iii 2355.
Ane barbour com … And off he shouife his lang hairis all cleine 1590–1 Crim. Trials I ii 217.
This Agnis Sampson had all her haire shaven off in each parte of her bodie

2. To shave (a person's face, chin, upper lip, etc.) with a razor so as to remove from it beard, moustache, whiskers, etc. a1400 Leg. S. xxxvi 1020.
His barboure … had schorne his hals in twa, To schaf that quhen he suld ga c1500-c1512 Dunb. Tua Mar. W. 105.
Quhen schaiffyne [M. schavein] is that ald schaik with a scharp rasour He schowis one me his schevill mouth 1513 Doug. ix iv 38.
Hys florist ȝouth ravest hys vissage ȝyng, Ȝit nevir schavyn, with pilis newly spryng a1605 Montg. Flyt. 487 (T).
And schuif, as we may sie syne, The face of it bair

3. To shave (a person's head or crown) with, or as with, a razor, so as to remove some or all of the hair from it. Also, with the person as object.Inflicted on certain malefactors, esp. sexual offenders, as a mark of ignominy.Chiefly p.p.pres. 1630-1651 Gordon Geneal. Hist. 258.
Then in a mocking iest he caused sheave the one syd of their beards, and one syd of their headsp.p. c1520-c1535 Nisbet 1 Cor. xi 6.
And gif a woman be nocht keuerit, be scho schavit Ib.
Schauet(b) c1520-c1535 Nisbet Acts xviii 18.
[He] had schauen his hede in Cencris; for he had a vow 1533 Boece 74.
Thare hedis schavin and nocht beld owder bare or lichtlie coverit 1564 Reg. Privy C. I 297.
And bayth the hedis of the man and woman [sc. fornicators] to be schavin a1568 Bann. MS 159b/42.
Being schavin thay returnd agane hither 1587 Elgin Rec. II 8.
Being tryit comoun harlottis … decernit … to haue heidis schavin and [etc.] 1618 Buchan Cl. IV 199.
Heid to be half-schaven 1642 Kirkcudbr. B. Rec. II 662.
Ther heidis to be shawin and [etc.](c) a1585 Polwart Flyt. 793 (T).
Quyt the querrell or be schevin [H. shavin] 1587–8 Elgin Rec. II 9.
To be putt in the youggis and thair heidis schevin 1600 Hamilton Facile Tr. in 1573-1600 Cath. Tr. (STS) 235/27.
Wemen … to eschew this publik infamie to be set vp in ane opin place with the half of thair haid schevin … did droun thame selfis(d) 1600 Elgin Rec. II 77.
Sic personis as beis found dansing … the tyme callit the halie dayis … sall be committit to the joiggis … and thair heades clippit or scheavin Ib.
Thai sall be putt in the joiggis and thair headis scheawin 1607 Kinghorn Kirk S. 10.
Their heads scheawn for their ugly harlatrie 1633–7 Haddington Corr. 172.
His head was sheawen

b. specif. To tonsure (a cleric).Also, to schave (oneself) munk or a chanoun.(1) 1494 Loutfut MS 34a.
His heid is figurit in maner of the heid of a moigne new schawyn 1531 Bell. Boece II 88.
Als sone as he was knawin, be persuasion of monkis, he schoif his heid in ane abbay of the samin cuntre Ib. 310.
Angus … schoif [M. schoiff] his heid in Halyrudhous, and deceissit ane channon thairof a1570-86 Maitland Maitl. F. 41/18.
Sum tyme the preistis thocht that thai did weill Quhone that thai maid thair beirdis and schwfe thair crown(2) 1513–14 Acta Conc. Publ. Aff. 7.
[Master Thomas Ker] has past to the abbay plaice of Kelso and has schavin him munk in the samyn 1531 Bell. Boece II 200.
He past to the abbay of Sanct Andros, and schuif him thair ane chanoun

c. With double object: To schave (a person) a crowne, to shave the head so as to give the remaining hair the appearance of forming a crown (here quoted as the origin of the corona clericalis or tonsure). a1400 Leg. S. i 158.
The feloune folk … On his hewid schufe hym [sc. St. Peter] a crowne, Of Jhesu Criste in dispyte

4. absol. a1400 Leg. S. vii 55.
Na nocht wes brocht Rasoure of hevyd to schawe [L. ferrum in caput ejus non adscendit] c1475 Wall. v 759.
A barbour off the best To cutt and schaiff 1579, 1617 Despauter (1579).
To schaif 1598 Edinb. B. Rec. V 228.
That na simpill barbouris suld haif gritter privilege bot onely to coll, schaif and watche and mak aquavite

5. Rendering L. secāre in to schave doun, to reduce by gradually cutting away (earth). 1513 Doug. viii i 97.
I am God Tybris … Quhilk … Bettis thir brays, schawyng [Sm. schawand] the bankis dovn