Shave \Shave\, v. t. [imp. Shaved;p. p. Shaved or Shaven; p. pr. & vb. n. Shaving.]

[OE. shaven, schaven, AS. scafan, sceafan; akin to D. schaven, G. schaben, Icel. skafa, Sw. skafva, Dan. skave, Goth. scaban, Russ. kopate to dig, Gr. ????, and probably to L. scabere to scratch, to scrape. Cf. Scab, Shaft, Shape.]

1. To cut or pare off from the surface of a body with a razor or other edged instrument; to cut off closely, as with a razor; as, to shave the beard.

2. To make bare or smooth by cutting off closely the surface, or surface covering, of; especially, to remove the hair from with a razor or other sharp instrument; to take off the beard or hair of; as, to shave the face or the crown of the head; he shaved himself.

I'll shave your crown for this. --Shak.

The laborer with the bending scythe is seen Shaving the surface of the waving green. --Gay.

3. To cut off thin slices from; to cut in thin slices.

Plants bruised or shaven in leaf or root. --Bacon.

4. To skim along or near the surface of; to pass close to, or touch lightly, in passing.

Now shaves with level wing the deep. --Milton.

5. To strip; to plunder; to fleece. [Colloq.]

To shave a note, to buy it at a discount greater than the legal rate of interest, or to deduct in discounting it more than the legal rate allows. [Cant, U.S.]

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)