Dictionary
An American Dictionary of the English Language
Revised and enlarged (Goodrich & Porter)
Springfield, Mass. · G. & C. Merriam · 1865
- Entries
- 95,912
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- Illustrations
- 2,133
Look up a word as the writers of the time used it.
Skĭl'ling, n. p. 1238A bay of a barn; also, a slight addition to a cottage.Skill'ling, n. p. 1238A money of account in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, worth about one cent.Skill'-less, a. p. 1238Wanting skill; artless. Shak.Skĭlt, n. p. 1238Difference. [Obs.]Skĭlts, n. pl. p. 1238A kind of large, coarse trowsers formerly worn, reaching just below the knee. [Local U. S.] Bartlett.Skĭm, n. p. 1238The thick matter that forms on the surface of a liquor; scum. [Rare.]Skĭm, v. t. p. 1238To clear, as a liquid, from substance floating thereon, by an instrument that dips under and passes along the surface; as, to skim milk. 2. To take off by skimming; as, to skim cream. 3. To pass near…Skĭm, v. i. p. 1238To pass lightly; to glide along in an even, smooth course; to glide along near the surface. Not so when swift Camilla scours the plain, Flies o'er the unbending corn, and skims along the main. Pope.…Skĭm'ble-scăm/ble, a. p. 1238Wandering; disorderly; rambling; unconnected. [Colloq. and low.] “Such a deal of skimble-scamble stuff.” Shak.Skĭm'-cōl/ter, n. p. 1238A colter for paring off the surface of land.Skĭm'i-try, n. p. 1238See SKIMMINGTON.Skĭm'mer, n. p. 1238A utensil for skimming liquors. 2. One who skims over a subject. 3. A web-footed water-fowl; the shearwater. See SHEARWATER.Skĭm'mer-ton, n. p. 1238See SKIMMINGTON.Skĭm'-milk, n. p. 1238Milk from which the cream has been taken; skimmed milk.Skĭm'ming, n. p. 1238The act of taking off that which floats upon a liquid, as scum, cream, or the like. 2. That which is removed from the surface of a liquid by skimming; scum; — chiefly used in the plural.Skĭm'ming-ly, adv. p. 1238By skimming or gliding along the surface.Skĭm'ming-ton, n. p. 1238A word of unknown signification, but probably the name of some notorious scold of olden time; — used only in the following phrase: — To ride skimmington, to perform a burlesque ceremony in ridicule…Skĭn, n. p. 1238(Physiol.) The external membranous envelope of animal bodies. ☞ In man, the skin is composed of two layers: the corium, cutis vera, or true skin, and the epidermis, cuticle, or scarf-skin. The true…Skĭn, v. t. p. 1238To strip off the skin or hide of; to flay; to peel. 2. To cover with skin, or as with skin; to cover superficially. It does but skin and film the ulcerous place. Shak.Skĭn, v. i. p. 1238To be covered with skin; as, a wound skins over. 2. To produce, in recitation or other school exercise, the work of another for one's own;—in colloquial use in the schools and colleges of the United…Skĭnch, v. i. p. 1238To give scant measure; to squeeze or pinch in order to effect a saving. [Prov. Eng.]Skĭn'-deep, a. p. 1238Superficial; slight. Feltham.Skĭn'flĭnt, n. p. 1238A very penurious person; a miser; a niggard.Skĭn'ful, n. p. 1238All that can be held by the skin; as, a skinful of liquor.Skĭnk, n. p. 1238Drink; pottage. [Obs.] Bacon. 2. [Lat. scincus, Gr. σκίγκος.] (Zoöl.) A kind of lizard, of which one species (the Scincus officinalis), was considered by the ancients a sort of universal medicine. It…Skĭnk, v. i. p. 1238To serve drink; to draw liquor. [Obs.] Such wine as Ganymede doth skink to Jove. Shirley.Skĭnk'er, n. p. 1238One who serves liquors. [Obs.]Skĭn'less, a. p. 1238Having no skin, or a very thin skin; as, skinless fruit.Skĭn'less-ly, adv. p. 1238In a skinless manner; without skin.Skĭn'ner, n. p. 1238One who skins. 2. One who deals in skins, pelts, or hides.Skĭn'ni-ness, n. p. 1238The quality of being skinny.Skĭn'ny, a. p. 1238Consisting of skin, or of skin only; wanting flesh. He holds him with a skinny hand. Coleridge.Skĭn'-wo͝ol, n. p. 1238Wool pulled from the dead skin, and not sheared from the living animal; felt-wool. Simmonds.Skĭp, v. i. p. 1238To leap; to bound; to spring, as a goat or lamb. The lamb thy riot dooms to bleed to-day, Had he thy reason, would he skip and play? Pope. To skip over, to pass without notice; to omit. Bacon.Skĭp, v. t. p. 1238To pass over or by; to omit; to miss; to leap over. They who have a mind to see the issue, may skip these two chapters. Burnet.Skĭp, n. p. 1238A leap; a bound; a spring. 2. The act of passing over an interval from one thing to another; an omission of a part. 3. (Mus.) A passage from one sound to another, by more than a degree at once. Busby.Skĭp'-jăck, n. p. 1238An upstart. [Obs.] Ford. 2. (Entom.) One of a family of coleopterous insects remarkable for leaping to a considerable height when placed upon their back; a snap or snap-bug.Skĭp'-kĕn'nel, n. p. 1238A lackey; a foot-boy.Skĭp'per, n. p. 1238(Naut.) The master of a small trading or merchant vessel. 2. A boy employed on board a ship; a ship-boy. [Obs.] 3. [From skip.] A dancer. 4. A youngling; a young, thoughtless person; a giddy youth.…Skĭp'pet, n. p. 1239A small boat. [Obs.] A little skippet floating did appear. Spenser.Skip'ping-ly, adv. p. 1239In a skipping manner; by skips, or leaps.Skip'ping-rōpe, n. p. 1239A small rope used by young persons in skipping, or leaping up and down.Skĭrl, v. t. p. 1239To utter in a loud tone; to scream. [Scot. and Prov. Eng.] W. Scott.Skīrl, v. i. p. 1239To scream; to shriek. [Scot. and Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.Skĭr'ling, n. p. 1239A shrill cry; as, the skirling of the women. W. Scott.Skīr'ling, n. p. 1239A small trout; — a name used loosely.Skĭr'mish, n. p. 1239A slight fight in war; a light combat between detachments from armies which are yet at a considerable distance from each other, or between detached and small parties. 2. A contest; a contention. They…Skĭr'mish, v. i. p. 1239To fight slightly or in small parties; to engage in a skirmish; to act as skirmishers.Skĭr'mish-er, n. p. 1239One who skirmishes; one of such troops as are sent forward in advance, or move deployed in loose order on the flanks of a marching column, to discover and intercept hostile forces.Skīrr, v. t. p. 1239To ramble over in order to clear; to scour. [Obs.] Shak.Skĭrr, v. i. p. 1239To scour; to scud; to run hastily. [Obs.]Skĭr'ret, n. p. 1239(Bot.) A plant (the Sium Sisarum), a native of China, Cochin-china, Corea, Japan, &c. It has been cultivated in Europe for the sake of its esculent root, which somewhat resembles the parsnip in…Skĭr’rhus, n. p. 1239See SCIRRHUS.Skirt, n. p. 1239The lower and loose part of a coat or other garment; the part below the waist; as, the skirt of a coat or mantle. 2. The edge of any part of dress. “A small skirt of ruffled linen, which runs along…Skĭrt, v. t. p. 1239To border; to form the border or edge of; or to run along the edge of; as, a plain skirted by rows of trees. “When sundown skirts the morn.” Tennyson.Skĩrt, v. i. p. 1239To be on the border; to live near the extremity. “Savages . . . who skirt along our western frontiers.” S. S. Smith.Skĩrt'ing or Skĩrt'ing-bōard, n. p. 1239(Arch.) The narrow, vertical board placed round the margin of a floor; mop-board; wash-board. Gwilt.Skĩrt'ing, n. p. 1239Skirts taken collectively; material for skirts.Skĭt, n. p. 1239A wanton girl; a light wench. 2. A reflection; a jeer or gibe; a whim. Tooke.Skit, v. t. p. 1239To cast reflections on; to asperse. [Prov. Eng.] Grose.