shaving
UK[ˈʃeɪvɪŋ]US[ˈʃeɪvɪŋ]
n
the act of removing hair from the skin with a razor
n
a thin slice or strip pared off from a surface, especially of wood or metal
Etymology
the word 'shaving' originates from the old english verb 'sceafan', meaning 'to scrape, to shave'. this verb is of germanic origin, related to dutch 'schaven' and german 'schaben'. the core concept has remained remarkably consistent from its proto-germanic root skab-, which itself derives from the proto-indo-european root skep-, meaning 'to cut, to scrape'. the modern gerund or noun form 'shaving' directly inherits this action of cutting or scraping something away, whether it is hair from the skin or a thin layer from a material like wood. the semantic extension from the act to the resulting fragment (the thin piece removed) is a natural and logical development in the word's usage.
Analysis
the word is a deverbal noun formed from the verb 'shave'. it is not productively segmented into smaller, meaningful morphemes in modern english.
Examples
he cut himself while shaving this morning.
the floor was covered in wood shavings from the carpenter's plane.
she applied a soothing lotion after shaving her legs.