Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Shave

Shave (shāv) , obs. p. p.

obs. past participle of Shave. — Chaucer
His beard was shave as nigh as ever he can. — Chaucer

Shave (shāvd) , transitive verb

[Old English shaven, schaven, Anglo-Saxon scafan, sceafan; akin to Dutch schaven, German schaben, Icelandic skafa, Swedish skafva, Danish skave, Gothic scaban, Russ. kopate to dig, Greek ska`ptein, and probably to Latin scabere to scratch, to scrape. Compare 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. — Shakespeare
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. [Colloquial]
Collocations (1)
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, United States]

Shave , intransitive verb

To use a razor for removing the beard; to cut closely; hence, to be hard and severe in a bargain; to practice extortion; to cheat.

Shave , noun

[Anglo-Saxon scafa, sceafa, a sort of knife. See Shave, transitive verb]

1.
A thin slice; a shaving. — Wright
2.
A cutting of the beard; the operation of shaving.
3.
(a) An exorbitant discount on a note.
(b)
A premium paid for an extension of the time of delivery or payment, or for the right to vary a stock contract in any particular. [Cant, United States] — N. Biddle
4.
A hand tool consisting of a sharp blade with a handle at each end; a drawing knife; a spokeshave.
5.
The act of passing very near to, so as almost to graze; as, the bullet missed by a close shave. [Colloquial]
Collocations (2)
Shave grass (Botany) , the scouring rush. See the Note under Equisetum.
Shave hook , a tool for scraping metals, consisting of a sharp-edged triangular steel plate attached to a shank and handle.