From Old English scofl, from Proto-Germanic *skuflo 'pushing tool,' derived from *skubanan 'to shove' — a shovel is literally something that shoves.
A tool with a broad, flat blade and a handle, used for digging, lifting, and moving loose material such as earth, snow, or coal.
From Old English scofl, from Proto-Germanic *skuflo, derived from the verb *skubanan 'to shove, to push.' A shovel is thus, etymologically, 'a pushing tool' or 'a shoving implement.' The same Proto-Germanic verb produced English shove. Key roots: *skubanan (Proto-Germanic: "to shove, to push"), *skeubh- (Proto-Indo-European: "to shove, to push, to