A shiv is an improvised pointed or bladed prison weapon resembling a knife, also known by names such as chiv, shivvie, or shank. Because conventional weapons are forbidden in prison settings, a shiv is purpose-built for concealment, typically given a thin handle so it can be hidden in a crack, a crevice, or among permitted items like books, though that same thin construction makes it harder to grip and use effectively. The word has a long history in English slang for a knife, appearing in the spelling chive as early as the 1670s, and it is thought to derive from the Romani word chiv, meaning blade. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Introduced When (Circa)Circa 1670s for the word (as chive); the spelling shiv is recorded from 1915. The object's own origin as an improvised weapon is not independently dated by the source. 1 OriginThe term is first recorded in the 1670s as underworld cant chive for knife, probably from the Romani word chiv, meaning blade; the modern spelling shiv is recorded in underworld slang from 1915. The improvised weapon itself is undated beyond the word's own recorded history. 1 Introduced era (class) In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Shiv (Wikipedia)
Lead section, etymologyQuote, Lead section, etymology
The word shiv is recorded from the 1670s (in the spelling chive) as cant for "knife". The exact spelling shiv is recorded in underworld slang from 1915.
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