shim

[shim] /ʃɪm/
noun
1.
a thin slip or wedge of metal, wood, etc., for driving into crevices, as between machine parts to compensate for wear, or beneath bedplates, large stones, etc., to level them.
verb (used with object), shimmed, shimming.
2.
to fill out or bring to a level by inserting a shim or shims.
Origin
1715-25; origin uncertain
British Dictionary definitions for shims

shim

/ʃɪm/
noun
1.
a thin packing strip or washer often used with a number of similar washers or strips to adjust a clearance for gears, etc
2.
(physics) a thin strip of magnetic material, such as soft iron, used to adjust a magnetic field
verb shims, shimming, shimmed
3.
(transitive) to modify a load, clearance, or magnetic field by the use of shims
Word Origin
C18: origin unknown
Word Origin and History for shims

shim

n.

1723, a Kentish word of unknown origin. Originally a piece of iron fitted to a plow for scraping soil; meaning "thin slip of wood to fill up a space or raise a level" is from 1860.

v.

"to wedge up a surface by means of a shim," 1877, from shim (n.). Related: Shimmed; shimming.

Slang definitions & phrases for shims

shim

noun

A person not appreciative of rock and roll; clyde (1950s+ Rock and roll)