Meaning

noun any of various small boats propelled by oars or by sails or by a motor

originFrom Scots skiff (“light shower of rain or snow”), from skiff (“move lightly”); compare the derivative skiffle (whence English skiffle) and (English skift (“light dusting of snow”) from) Scots skift (“light shower of snow”), from skift (“move lightly”), perhaps related to shift/Old Norse skipta, or perhaps an onomatopoeic formation.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0