Shak.
Little souls on little shifts rely.
Dryden.
2. Something frequently shifted; especially, a woman's under-garment; a
chemise.
3. The change of one set of workmen for another; hence, a spell, or
turn, of work; also, a set of workmen who work in turn with other sets;
as, a night shift.
4. In building, the extent, or arrangement, of the overlapping of
plank, brick, stones, etc., that are placed in courses so as to break
joints.