SKAD'DONS, noun The embryos of bees. [Not in use.]

SKAIN, noun A knot of thread, yarn or silk, or a number of knots collected.

SKA'INSMATE, noun A messmate; a companion.

SKALD, noun An ancient Scandinavian poet or bard.

SKATE, noun A sort or shoe furnished with a smooth iron for sliding on ice.

SKATE, verb intransitive To slide or move on skates.

SKATE, noun [Latin squatus, squatina.] A fish of the ray kind, (Raia Batis; ) called the variegated ray-fish, It is a flat fish, the largest and thinnest of the genus, some of them weighing nearly two hundred pounds.

SKATER, noun One who skates on ice.

SKEAN, noun A short sword, or a knife. [Not in use.]

SKEED. [See Skid.]

SKEEL, noun A shallow wooden vessel for holding milk or cream.

SKEET, noun A long scoop used to wet the sides of ships or the sails.

SKEG, noun A little salmon.

SKEL'ETON, noun [Latin calleo, callus.]

1. The bones of an animal body, separated from the flesh and retained in their natural position or connections. When the bones are connected by the natural ligaments, it is called a natural skeleton; when by wires, or any foreign substance, an artificial skeleton

2. The compages, general structure or frame of any thing; the principal parts that support the rest, but without the appendages.

3. A very thin or lean person.

SKEL'LUM, noun A scoundrel. [Not in use.]

SKEP, noun A sort of basket, narrow at the bottom and wide at the top. [Not used in America.]

SKEPTIC. [See Sceptic.]

SKETCH, noun [Latin scateo.] An outline or general delineation of any thing; a first rough or incomplete draught of a plan or any design; as the sketch of a building; the sketch of an essay.

SKETCH, verb transitive

1. To draw the outline or general figure of a thing; to make a rough draught.

2. To plan by giving the principal points or ideas.

SKETCH'ED, participle passive Having the outline drawn.

SKETCH'ING, participle present tense Drawing the outline.

SKEW, adverb Awry; obliquely. [See Askew.]

SKEW, verb transitive

1. To look obliquely upon; to notice slightly. [Not in use.]

2. To shape or form in an oblique way. [Not in use.]

SKEW, verb intransitive To walk obliquely.

SKEW'ER, noun A pin of wood or iron for fastening meat to a spit, or for keeping it in form while roasting.

SKEW'ER, verb transitive To fasten with skewers.

SKID, noun

1. A curving timber to preserve a ship's side from injury by heavy bodies hoisted or lowered against it; a slider.

2. A chain used for fastening the wheel of a wagon, to prevent its turning when descending a steep hill.

SKIFF, noun [Latin schapha; ] A small light boar resembling a yawl.

SKIFF, verb transitive To pass over in a light boat.

SKILL, noun Calleo, that is to strain, stretch, reach, and with to perfect, that is, to make sound, or to reach the utmost limit. The sense of folly, error, sin, preverseness, is from wandering, deviation.

1. The familiar knowledge of any art or science, united with readiness and dexterity in execution or performance, or in the application of the art or science to practical purposes. Thus we speak of the skill of a mathematician, of a surveyor, of a physician or surgeon, of a mechanic or seaman. So we speak of skill in management or negotiation.

2. Any particular art.

SKILL, verb transitive To know; to understand.

SKILL, verb intransitive

1. To be knowing in; to be dextrous in performance.

2. To differ; to make difference; to matter or be of interest.

SKILL'ED, adjective Having familiar knowledge united with readiness and dexterity in the application of it; familiarly acquainted with; followed by in; as a professor skilled in logic or geometry; one skilled in the art of engraving.

SKIL'LESS, adjective Wanting skill; artless.

SKILL'FUL, adjective

1. Knowing; well versed in any art; hence, dextrous; able in management; able to perform nicely any manual operation in the arts or professions; as a skillful mechanic; a skillful operator in surgery.

2. Well versed in practice; as a skillful physician.

It is followed by at or in; as skillful at the organ; skillful in drawing.

SKILL'FULLY, adverb With skill; with nice art; dextrously; as a machine skillfully made; a ship skillfully managed.

SKILL'FULNESS, noun The quality of possessing skill; dextrousness; ability to perform well in any art or business, or to manage affairs with judgement and exactness, or according to good taste or just rules; knowledge and ability derived from experience.

SKIL'LING, noun An isle or bay of a barn; also, a skight addition to a cottage

SKILT, noun (See Skill) Difference.

SKIM, noun (a different orthography of scum;

Scum; the thich matter that forms on the surface of a liquor.

SKIM, verb transitive

1. To take off the thick gross matter which separates from any liquid substance and collects on the surface; as, to skim milk by taking off the cream.

2. To take off by skimming; as, to skim cream.

3. To pass near the surface; to brush the surface slightly.

SKIM, verb intransitive

1. To pass lightly; to glide along in an even smooth course, or without flapping; as, an eagle or hawk skims along the etherial regions.

2. To glide along near the surface; to pass lightly.

3. To hasten over superficially or with slight attention.

They skim over a science in a superficial survey.

SKIM'MER, noun

1. An utensil in the form of a scoop; used for skimming liquors.

2. One that skims over a subject.

3. A sea fowl, the cut-water.

SKIM'MINGS, noun plural Matter skimmed from the surface of liquors.

SKIN, noun

1. The natural covering of animal bodies, consisting of the cuticle or scarf-skin, the rete mucosum, and the cutis or hide. The cuticle is very thin and insensible; the cutis is thicker and very sensible.

2. A hide; a pelt; the skin of an animal separated from the body, whether green, dry or tanned.

3. The body; the person; in ludicrous language

4. The bark or husk of a plant; the exterior coat of fruits and plants.

SKIN, verb transitive

1. To strip off the skin or hide; to flay; to peel.

2. To cover with skin

3. to cover superficially.

SKIN, verb intransitive To be covered with skin; as a wound skins over.

SKIN'DEEP, adjective Superficial; not deep; slight.

SKIN'FLINT, noun (skin and flint) A very niggardly person.

SKINK, noun

1. Drink; pottage.

2. (Latin scincus) A small lizard of Egypt; also, the common name of a genus of lizards, with a long body entirely covered with rounded imbricate scales, all natives of warm climates.

SKINK, verb intransitive To bestow, to make a present. To serve drink.

SKINK'ER, noun One that serves liquors.

SKIN'LESS, adjective (from skin) Having a thin skin; as skinless fruit.

SKIN'NED, participle passive

1. Stripped of the skin; flayed

2. Covered with skin.

SKIN'NER, noun

1. One that skins.

2. One that deals in skins, plets or hides.

SKIN'NINESS, noun The quality of being skinny.

SKIN'NY, adjective Consisting of skin, or of skin only; wanting flesh.

SKIP, verb intransitive To leap; to bound; to spring; as a goat or lamb.

To skip over, to pass without notice; to omit.

SKIP, verb transitive To pass over or by; to omit; to miss.

SKIP, noun A leap; a bound; a spring.

SKIP'-JACK, noun An upstart.

SKIP'-KENNEL, noun A lackey; a footboy.

SKIP'PER, noun

1. The master of a small trading vessel.

2. (from skip.) A dancer.

3. A youngling; a young thoughtless person.

4. The hornfish, so called.

5. The cheese maggot.

SKIP'PET, noun (See Ship and Skiff.) A small boat.

SKIP'PING, participle present tense Leaping; bounding. skipping notes, in music, are notes that are not in regular course, but separate.

SKIP'PINGLY, adverb by leaps.

SKIRMISH, noun

1. A slight fight in war; a light combat by armies at a great distance from each other, or between detachments and small parties.

2. A contest; a contention.

They never meet but there's a skirmish of wit.

SKIRM'ISH, verb intransitive To fight slightly or in small parties.

SKIRM'ISHER, noun One that skirmishes.

SKIRM'ISHING, participle present tense Fighting slightly or in detached parties.

SKIRM'ISHING, noun The act of fighting in a loose or slight encounter.

SKIRR, verb transitive To scour; to ramble over in order to clear.

SKIRR, verb intransitive To scour; to scud; to run hastily.

SKIR'RET, noun A plant of the genus Sium.

SKIR'RUS. (See Scirrhus.)

SKIRT, noun

1. The lower and loose part of a coat or other garment; the part below the waist; as the skirt of a coat or mantle. 1 Samuel 15:27.

2. The edge of any part of dress.

3. Border; edge; margin; extreme part; as the skirt of a forest; the skirt of a town.

4. A woman's garment like a petticoat.

5. The diaphragm or midriff in animals.

To spread the skirt over, in Scripture, to take under one's care and protection Ruth 3:9.

SKIRT, verb transitive To border; to form the border or edge; or to run along the edge; as a plain skirted by rows of trees; a circuit skirted round with wood.

SKIRT, verb intransitive To be on the border; to live near the extremity.

Savages--who skirt along our western frontiers.

SKIRT'ED, participle passive Bordered.

SKIRT'ING, participle present tense Bordering; forming a border.

SKIT, noun A wanton girl; a reflection; a jeer or jibe; a whim.

SKIT, verb transitive To cast reflections.

SKIT'TISH, adjective

1. Shy; easily frightened; shunning familiarity; timorous; as a restif skittish jade. L'Estrange.

2. Wanton; volatile; hasty.

3. Changeable; fickle; as skittish fortune.

SKIT'TISHLY, adverb Shyly; wantonly; changeably.

SKIT'TISHNESS, noun

1. Shyness; aptness to fear approach; timidity.

2. Fickleness; wantonness.

SKIT'TLES, noun Nine pins.

SKOL'EZITE, noun A mineral allied to Thomsonite, occurring crystallized and massive, colorless and nearly transparent. When a small portion of it is placed in the exterior flame of the blowpipe, it twists like a worm, becomes opake, and is converted into a blebby colorless glass.

SKONCE, [See Sconce.]

SKOR'ADITE, noun A mineral of a greenish color of different shades or brown and nearly black, resembling the martial arseniate of copper. It occurs massive, but generally crystallized in rectangular prisms.

SKREEN. (See Screen).

SKRINGE, properly scringe; a vulgar corruption of cringe.

SKUE. (See Skew.)

SKUG, verb transitive To hide.

SKULK, verb intransitive To lurk; to withdraw into a corner or into a close place for concealment (See Sculk).

SKULL, noun

1. The bone that forms the exterior of the head, and incloses the brain; the brain-pan. It is composed of several parts united at the sutures.

2. A person.

SKULLs that cannot teach and will not learn.

3. skull for skeal or school, of fish

SKUNK, noun In America, the popular name of a fetid animal of the weasel kind; the Viverra Mephitis of Linne.

SKUNK'-CABBAGE,

SKUNK'-WEED, noun A plant vulgarly so called, the Tetodes fatidus, so named from its smell.

SKUTE, noun A boat. [See Scow.]

SKY, noun

1. The aerial region which surrounds the earth; the apparent arch or vault of heaven, which in a clear day is of a blue color.

2. The heavens.

3. The weather; the climate.

4. A cloud; a shadow.

SKY'EY, adjective Like the sky; etherial.

SKY'ISH, adjective Like the sky, or approaching the sky. The skyish head of blue Olympus.

SKY'LARK, noun A lark that mounts and sings as it flies.

SKY'-LIGHT, noun A window placed in the top of a house or ceiling of a room for admission of light.

SKY'-ROCKET, noun A rocket that ascends high and burns as it flies; a species of fire works.