Etymology 1

A parallel form of , from a base which probably existed in Old English (though is not attested before the Middle English period). Cognate with German , late Old Norse , ( > Danish ), Dutch .

Noun

1. A slice, especially of bread.
   • 1980, Anthony Burgess, Earthly Powers:

     In my cool room with the shutters shut and the thin shives of air and light coming through the slats, I cried myself to sleep in an overloud selfpitying transport.

2. A sheave.
3. A beam or plank of split wood.
4. A flat, wide cork for plugging a large hole.

Etymology 2

From a base which probably existed in Old English (though is not attested before the Middle English period). Cognate with German , Dutch .

Noun

1. a splinter; a particle of fluff on the surface of cloth or other material
2. In paper-making, a particle of impurity in finished paper.

Etymology 3

Variant of , from , .

Noun

1. A knife.
   • 2006, Thomas Pynchon, Against the Day, Vintage 2007, p. 50:

     So every alleyway down here, every shadow big enough to hide a shive artist with a grudge, is a warm invitation to rewrite history.