- shim (n.)
- "a slip of wood," 1723, a Kentish word, of unknown origin. Originally a piece of iron fitted to a plow for scraping soil; meaning "thin slip to fill up a space or raise a level" is from 1860.
- shim (v.)
- "to wedge up a surface by means of a shim," 1937, from shim (n.). Related: Shimmed; shimming.