shaft en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /ˈʃɑːft/ (General-South-African, Received-Pronunciation, Southern-England)
- (Australia) audio
- [ˈʃɐ̞ːft] (Australia, New-Zealand)
- /ˈʃæft/ (Canada, US)
- /ˈʃɐːft/ (Australia, New-Zealand)
- /ˈʃaft/ (Northern-England, Scotland)
Etymology
From Middle English chafte, saft, scaft, schaft, schafte, scheft, shaffet, shaft, from Old English sċeaft, from Proto-West Germanic *skaft, from Proto-Germanic *skaftaz (“shaft”), from Proto-Indo-European *skeh₂p- (“club, rod, shaft, staff”). Cognates Cognate with Dutch schacht (“shaft”), German Schaft (“shaft”), Low German Schacht, Skacht (“shaft; cane, stick; beating”), Danish, Icelandic, Norwegian Bokmål, Norwegian Nynorsk, and Swedish skaft (“handle; stem; shaft”); also Latin scapus (“stalk, stem; shaft”), Greek σκήπτρο (skíptro, “sceptre”), Albanian shkop (“staff, stick”), Belarusian кап'ё (kapʺjó, “spear”), Bulgarian ко́пие (kópie, “spear”), Czech kopí (“spear”), Macedonian копје (kopje, “spear”), Polish kopia (“spear”), Russian копьё (kopʹjó, “spear”), Serbo-Croatian ко̏пље, kȍplje (“spear”), Slovak kopija (“spear”), Slovene kopje (“javelin”). In Early Modern English, shaft referred to the entire body of a long weapon, such that an arrow's “shaft” was composed of its tip, stale, and fletching. Over time, the word came to be used in place of the former stale and lost its original meaning.
Meanings
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(obsolete) The entire body of a long weapon, such as an arrow.
A shaft hath three principal parts, the stele, the feathers, and the head.
1545, Roger Ascham, Toxophilus:
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The long, narrow, central body of a spear, arrow, or javelin.
Her hand slipped off the javelin's shaft towards the spearpoint and that's why her score was lowered.
Orion hit a rabbit once; but though sore wounded it got to the bury, and, struggling in, the arrow caught the side of the hole and was drawn out.[…]. Ikey the blacksmith had forged us a spearhead after a sketch from a picture of a Greek warrior; and a rake-handle served as a shaft.
1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter II, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], →OCLC:
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(broadly) Anything cast or thrown as a spear or javelin.
[…]and the Thunder, / Wing'd with red Lightning and impetuous rage, / Perhaps hath ſpent his ſhafts […]
1667, John Milton, “Book I”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC:The correction of theſe will reſtore its proper dignity to the ſtudy of antiquities, and cauſe the ſhafts of ridicule, which have been ſucceſsfully thrown at it, to recoil.
1800, Vicesimus Knox, “Essay LXXIV”, in Essays Moral and Literary, volume II, page 100:Moya and her new friend Mamie have been shrieking appropriate quotations at one another, upstairs and down, for days past. Of course, I didn't see the exact point of the various shafts of wit until now, but this is evidently what was brewing.
1927, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], Max Carrados Mysteries:
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Any long thin object, such as the handle of a tool. ▸ One of the poles between which a draught animal is harnessed to a vehicle.
While Kitto chatted to William, Jessamy looked with interest at the dog cart. It had a pair of high wooden wheels with two seats back to back above. Between the shafts the bay mare tossed her head and fidgeted on the cobbles.
1967, Barbara Sleigh, Jessamy, Sevenoaks, Kent: Bloomsbury, published 1993, →ISBN, page 57:
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Any long thin object, such as the handle of a tool. ▸ A rotating machine element used to transmit power; a driveshaft
Turbines have been around for a long time—windmills and water wheels are early examples. The name comes from the Latin turbo, meaning vortex, and thus the defining property of a turbine is that a fluid or gas turns the blades of a rotor, which is attached to a shaft that can perform useful work.
2013 July-August, Lee S. Langston, “The Adaptable Gas Turbine”, in American Scientist:
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Any long thin object, such as the handle of a tool. ▸ The long narrow body of a lacrosse stick.
Sarah, if you wear gloves your hands might not slip on your shaft and you can up your game, girl!
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(literary) A beam or ray of light.
Isn't that shaft of light from that opening in the cave beautiful?
They were a fine company of old women, and a Dutch painter would have loved to find them there together, where the sun made bright patches on the floor and sent long, quivering shafts of gold through the dusky shade up among the rafters.
1912, Willa Cather, The Bohemian Girl::
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The main axis of a feather.
I had no idea that they removed the feathers' shafts to make the pillows softer!
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A vertical or inclined passage sunk into the earth as part of a mine.
Your grandfather used to work with a crane hauling ore out of the gold mine's shafts.
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A vertical passage housing a lift or elevator.
Darn it, my keys fell through the gap and into the elevator shaft.
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A ventilation or heating conduit.
Our parrot flew into the air duct and got stuck in the shaft.
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Any column or pillar, particularly the body of a column between its capital and pedestal.
Spirit, that made those heroes dare / To die, or leave their children free / Bid Time and Nature gently spare / The shaft we raise to thee.
1847, R[alph] W[aldo] Emerson, “Hymn […] ”, in Poems, Boston, Mass.: James Munroe and Company, →OCLC, page 251:
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The main cylindrical part of the penis.
The female labia minora is homologous to the penis shaft skin of males.
- The chamber of a blast furnace.
- A relatively small area of precipitation that an onlook can discern from the dry surrounding area.
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A component of a loom which holds the heddles and is raised by treadles to create the shed.
Eight shafts are required to weave this structure. If you have four shafts, you may weave something similar by threading alternate blocks to plain weave and 2/2 basket.
1990, Sharon Alderman, A Handweaver's Notebook, →ISBN, page 93:
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(slang) An act of sexual intercourse.
I sat on the sofa, got up, changed channels and doubted there'd be time to have a quick shaft and feign an orgasm today.
2012, Najat El Hachmi, The Last Patriarch (page 286)
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| shafts | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
prop shaft · propshaft · shaftment · shaftsman · half shaftradial shaft seal · angle shaft · shaftway · spearshaft · equivalent shaft horsepower · Microshaft · mineshaft · camshaft · mainshaft · cockshaft · shaftlike · propeller shaft · shaft cave · shaft alley · ventilating shaft · sunshaft · cardan shaft · counter shaft · view shaft · crankshaft · shaftie · clutchshaft · shaft encoder · driveshaft · windshaft · shaftwork · driving shaft · rock shaft · viewshaft · liftshaft · shaft bow · shaft furnace · jackshaft · get the shaft · turboshaft · give someone the shaft · foreshaft · mine shaft · shafty · shaftless · drive shaft · shaft horsepower · nonshaft · brakeshaft · shafthouse · subshaft · dropshaft · reversing shaft · hairshaft · line shaft · ventilation shaft · backshaft · bareshaft · elevator shaft · shaftman · countershaft · prickshaft · midshaft · aftershaft · layshaft · hail shaft · airshaft · Cardan shaft
Synonyms
mineshaft · pole · carriage pole · harness · stale · airduct · rachis · liftshaft
Translations (213)
el στειλιάρι (any long, thin object) · cmn 羽幹 /羽干 (main axis of a feather) · ru ша́хта (ventilation or heating conduit) · ru сте́ржень (main axis of a feather) · cs šachta (vertical passage housing a lift) · gl hasta (long narrow body of spear or arrow) · uk ша́хта (vertical passage housing a lift) · cs šachta (long passage sunk into the earth) · ota كوندر (long narrow body of spear or arrow) · ca pou (vertical passage housing a lift) · fa چوبه (long narrow body of spear or arrow) · es asta (long narrow body of spear or arrow) · es palier (any long, thin object) · ga fearsaid (any long, thin object) · es astil (long narrow body of spear or arrow) · de Federkiel (main axis of a feather) · hu légudvar (ventilation or heating conduit) · de Schacht (vertical passage housing a lift) · fr rachis (main axis of a feather) · mk зрак (beam or ray of light) · sv hisschakt (vertical passage housing a lift) · eo fusto (long narrow body of spear or arrow) · it pozzo (ventilation or heating conduit) · it rachide (main axis of a feather) · fi varsi (lacrosse: long narrow body of the stick) · sv stång (any long, thin object) · he קָנֶה (main axis of a feather) · ca barra (any long, thin object) · pt chaminé (long passage sunk into the earth) · it prolunga (any long, thin object) · bg стъбло (main axis of a feather) · de Stange (any long, thin object) · ru ша́хта (vertical passage housing a lift) · es barra (any long, thin object) · enm schaft (any long, thin object) · el φρεάτιο (long passage sunk into the earth) · es caña (any long, thin object) · hu fénynyaláb (beam or ray of light) · pt raio (beam or ray of light) · el πηγάδι (long passage sunk into the earth) · fi kuilu (long passage sunk into the earth) · ru ось (any long, thin object) · nl schacht (vertical passage housing a lift) · gl hasta (any long, thin object) · nn sjakt (vertical passage housing a lift) · mi kawau (long narrow body of spear or arrow) · bg ша́хта (long passage sunk into the earth) · he קֻלְמוֹס (main axis of a feather) · pl szyb (ventilation or heating conduit) · mi tara (beam or ray of light) · cs hřídel (any long, thin object) · fr brancard (pole to attach a draught animal) · nb skaft (the shaft of the penis) · it condotta (ventilation or heating conduit) · nb sjakt (long passage sunk into the earth) · es tronco (the shaft of the penis) · el καλάμι (main axis of a feather) · mi kakau (long narrow body of spear or arrow) · es vara (any long, thin object) · hu sugár (beam or ray of light) · pt cabo (long narrow body of spear or arrow) · de Schacht (long passage sunk into the earth) · fi kanki (any long, thin object) · ja 縦坑 (long passage sunk into the earth) · es astil (main axis of a feather) · ro puțuri (long passage sunk into the earth) · gd crann (any long, thin object) · ota قیو (long passage sunk into the earth) · ru луч (beam or ray of light) · cs paprsek (beam or ray of light) · ru рукоя́тка (lacrosse: long narrow body of the stick) · pt cabo (lacrosse: long narrow body of the stick) · kix lāi (long narrow body of spear or arrow) · fi varsi (the shaft of the penis) · grc κῆλον (long narrow body of spear or arrow) · sk hriadeľ (any long, thin object) · ro puț (long passage sunk into the earth) · hu akna (vertical passage housing a lift) · eo ŝakto (long passage sunk into the earth) · pl szyb (vertical passage housing a lift) · hu szár (main axis of a feather) · hu bányaakna (long passage sunk into the earth) · el στύλος (any long, thin object) · sv stråle (beam or ray of light) · hu rúd (any long, thin object) · mk ра́чка (lacrosse: long narrow body of the stick) · cs dřík (the shaft of the penis) · enm schaft (long narrow body of spear or arrow) · hu nyél (long narrow body of spear or arrow) · el φρέαρ (vertical passage housing a lift) · de Deichsel (pole to attach a draught animal) · fi varsi (any long, thin object) · hu szellőzőakna (ventilation or heating conduit) · it tromba (vertical passage housing a lift) · es pozo (vertical passage housing a lift) · de Kiel (main axis of a feather) · fi valokeila (beam or ray of light) · hu liftakna (vertical passage housing a lift) · gd cas (any long, thin object) · cs dřík (long narrow body of spear or arrow) · el στέλεχος (long narrow body of spear or arrow) · pt duto (ventilation or heating conduit) · pt haste (long narrow body of spear or arrow) · fi kanava (ventilation or heating conduit) · pdt Staum (long narrow body of spear or arrow) · it condotto (ventilation or heating conduit) · el αεραγωγός (ventilation or heating conduit) · es mango (lacrosse: long narrow body of the stick) · es eje (any long, thin object) · sv schakt (vertical passage housing a lift) · hu levélszár (main axis of a feather) · bg шахта (ventilation or heating conduit) · pal 𐭰𐭥𐭯𐭪 (long narrow body of spear or arrow) · cs násada (long narrow body of spear or arrow) · fr cage (vertical passage housing a lift) · pt cabo (any long, thin object) · tr ok sapı (long narrow body of spear or arrow) · bg дръжка на копие (long narrow body of spear or arrow) · it condotto (long passage sunk into the earth) · it pozzo (long passage sunk into the earth) · ru черено́к (lacrosse: long narrow body of the stick) · sh okno (long passage sunk into the earth) · gd gath (beam or ray of light) · pt haste (any long, thin object) · cmn 羽軸 /羽轴 (main axis of a feather) · pt raque (main axis of a feather) · fi kaivoskuilu (long passage sunk into the earth) · nl schacht (long passage sunk into the earth) · nn sjakt (long passage sunk into the earth) · enm schaft (beam or ray of light) · ru дре́вко (long narrow body of spear or arrow) · it asta (any long, thin object) · cs šachta (ventilation or heating conduit) · mnb duruka (long narrow body of spear or arrow) · ja 羽軸 (main axis of a feather) · tl balaon (long passage sunk into the earth) · sv schakt (long passage sunk into the earth) · bg дръжка (lacrosse: long narrow body of the stick) · pl szyb (long passage sunk into the earth) · eu haga (any long, thin object) · fr hampe (long narrow body of spear or arrow) · hu tárna (long passage sunk into the earth) · fi akseli (any long, thin object) · ang sċeaft (long narrow body of spear or arrow) · el στοά (long passage sunk into the earth) · nb sjakt (vertical passage housing a lift) · sk os (any long, thin object) · pdt Scheft (any long, thin object) · ru сте́ржень (any long, thin object) · mk о́кно (long passage sunk into the earth) · sv schakt (ventilation or heating conduit) · mi kakau (any long, thin object) · mk о́ска (any long, thin object) · fi kuilu (vertical passage housing a lift) · el ακτίνα (beam or ray of light) · ru ша́хта (long passage sunk into the earth) · he פִּיר (vertical passage housing a lift) · ota اوق (long narrow body of spear or arrow) · mk ра́чка (long narrow body of spear or arrow) · pt vara (the shaft of the penis) · cmn 杆 (long narrow body of spear or arrow) · el αχτίδα (beam or ray of light) · fi aisa (any long, thin object) · it raggio (beam or ray of light) · bg шахта (vertical passage housing a lift) · es haz (beam or ray of light) · ca conducte (ventilation or heating conduit) · es pozo (long passage sunk into the earth) · gv towl (long passage sunk into the earth) · mk др́шка (lacrosse: long narrow body of the stick) · nb skaft (long narrow body of spear or arrow) · es rayo (beam or ray of light) · de Strahl (beam or ray of light) · el φρεάτιο (vertical passage housing a lift) · es hueco (vertical passage housing a lift) · ca tronc (the shaft of the penis) · hu lichthóf (ventilation or heating conduit) · es raquis (main axis of a feather) · de Schaft (long narrow body of spear or arrow) · mk др́шка (long narrow body of spear or arrow) · pt poço (vertical passage housing a lift) · ru ствол (the shaft of the penis) · he פִּיר (long passage sunk into the earth) · ca pou (long passage sunk into the earth) · th ทูบ (long narrow body of spear or arrow) · sv skaft (long narrow body of spear or arrow) · sk šachta (long passage sunk into the earth) · de Schacht (ventilation or heating conduit) · es ducto (ventilation or heating conduit) · pt poço (long passage sunk into the earth) · hu szár (long narrow body of spear or arrow) · ca feix (beam or ray of light) · de Schaft (the shaft of the penis) · fi hissikuilu (vertical passage housing a lift) · ja 立て坑 (long passage sunk into the earth) · fi ruoto (main axis of a feather) · pdt Scheft (long narrow body of spear or arrow) · ota ایك (any long, thin object) · it lancia (long narrow body of spear or arrow) · grc στελεά (any long, thin object) · hu akna (long passage sunk into the earth) · bg лъч (beam or ray of light) · gd toll (long passage sunk into the earth) · el βάλανος (the shaft of the penis) · grc κάμαξ (any long, thin object) · th เพลา (long narrow body of spear or arrow) · hu fénysugár (beam or ray of light) · nl schacht (long narrow body of spear or arrow) · el φρέαρ (long passage sunk into the earth) · it pozzo (vertical passage housing a lift) · sh grotlo (vertical passage housing a lift) · mk ша́хта (vertical passage housing a lift) · fi varsi (long narrow body of spear or arrow)