ˈshāviŋ, -vēŋ noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from gerund of shaven to shave
1. : an act or process of trimming or cutting closely: as
a. : the removal of hair or beard with a razor
shaving with an electric razor takes him about five minutes
b. : the removal of excess material with a cutting tool
shaving is now the most widely used productive method of finishing … gear teeth — R.S.Kegg
c. : the scraping of old material from the surface of a recording medium (as a cylinder) to obtain a new recording surface
2. : a slice or fragment produced by a shaver: as
a. : a thin strip of wood pared off by a plane — usually used in plural
fragrant boards and shavings — G.W.Brace
b. shavings plural : the strips trimmed from either side of a paper web or from a pile of sheets
c. : flake , chip
the roll is then dusted with cocoa and decorated with shavings of bitter chocolate — New Yorker
3.
a. : the discounting of a note at an exorbitant rate
b. : a reduction in amount
some price shavings were announced — Dun's Review