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An American Dictionary of the English Language

by Noah Webster

Revised and enlarged (Goodrich & Porter)

Springfield, Mass. · G. & C. Merriam · 1865

Entries
95,912
Pages
1,538
Illustrations
2,133

Look up a word as the writers of the time used it.

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  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. Skĭp'-kĕn'nel, n.p. 1238A lackey; a foot-boy.
  6. 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.…
  7. Skĭp'pet, n.p. 1239A small boat. [Obs.] A little skippet floating did appear. Spenser.
  8. Skip'ping-ly, adv.p. 1239In a skipping manner; by skips, or leaps.
  9. Skip'ping-rōpe, n.p. 1239A small rope used by young persons in skipping, or leaping up and down.
  10. Skĭrl, v. t.p. 1239To utter in a loud tone; to scream. [Scot. and Prov. Eng.] W. Scott.
  11. Skīrl, v. i.p. 1239To scream; to shriek. [Scot. and Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.
  12. Skĭr'ling, n.p. 1239A shrill cry; as, the skirling of the women. W. Scott.
  13. Skīr'ling, n.p. 1239A small trout; — a name used loosely.
  14. 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…
  15. Skĭr'mish, v. i.p. 1239To fight slightly or in small parties; to engage in a skirmish; to act as skirmishers.
  16. 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.
  17. Skīrr, v. t.p. 1239To ramble over in order to clear; to scour. [Obs.] Shak.
  18. Skĭrr, v. i.p. 1239To scour; to scud; to run hastily. [Obs.]
  19. 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…
  20. Skĭr’rhus, n.p. 1239See SCIRRHUS.
  21. 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…
  22. 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.
  23. Skĩrt, v. i.p. 1239To be on the border; to live near the extremity. “Savages . . . who skirt along our western frontiers.” S. S. Smith.
  24. 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.
  25. Skĩrt'ing, n.p. 1239Skirts taken collectively; material for skirts.
  26. Skĭt, n.p. 1239A wanton girl; a light wench. 2. A reflection; a jeer or gibe; a whim. Tooke.
  27. Skit, v. t.p. 1239To cast reflections on; to asperse. [Prov. Eng.] Grose.
  28. Skit'tish, a.p. 1239Easily frightened; shunning familiarity; timorous; shy. “A restiff, skittish jade.” L'Estrange. 2. Wanton; volatile; hasty. 3. Changeable; fickle. “Skittish Fortune.” Shak.
  29. Skit'tish-ly, adv.p. 1239In a skittish manner; shyly; wantonly; changeably.
  30. Skit'tish-ness, n.p. 1239The state of being skittish; aptness to fear approach; timidity; shyness. 2. Fickleness; wantonness.
  31. Skit'tle-ball, n.p. 1239A disk or flat ball of hard wood for throwing at skittles or ninepins. Simmonds.
  32. Skĭt'tles, n. pl.p. 1239Nine-pins.
  33. Skive, n.p. 1239The iron lap used by diamond-polishers in finishing the facets of the gem. Simmonds.
  34. Ski'ver, n.p. 1239An inferior quality of leather, made of split sheep-skin, tanned by immersion in sumac, and dyed. It is used for hat-linings, pocket-books, book-binding, and other purposes. Simmonds.
  35. Skīre, v. t.p. 1239To shelter or protect; to cover. [Obs.]
  36. Skŏl'e-çite, n.p. 1239See SCOLECITE.
  37. Sko-lōps'ite, n.p. 1239(Min.) A mineral of a grayish-white or reddish-gray color, consisting chiefly of silica, alumina, lime, and soda. Dana.
  38. Skōnce, n.p. 1239The same as SCONCE. See SCONCE.
  39. Skōr'o-dīte, n.p. 1239(Min.) A native compound of arsenic acid and oxide of iron, having a leek-green or brownish color. See SCORODITE. Dana.
  40. Skout, n.p. 1239(Ornith.) A bird of the genus Uria, the guillemot. See GUILLEMOT.
  41. Skow, n.p. 1239The same as Scow. See Scow.
  42. Skreed, n.p. 1239Floating ice in small fragments. Kane.
  43. Skreen, n. & v.p. 1239See SCREEN.
  44. Skrim'mage, n.p. 1239See SCRIMMAGE.
  45. Skrimp'y, a.p. 1239Disposed to scrimp; mean; stingy. [Prov. Eng. Colloq. U. S.]
  46. Skringe, v. t.p. 1239To press violently. See SCRINGE.
  47. Skūe, a. & n.p. 1239The same as SKEW. See SKEW.
  48. Skāe'sight, n.p. 1239(Med.) Defective vision, in which objects can be distinctly seen only when looked at obliquely. Dunglison.
  49. Skŭg, v. t.p. 1239To hide. [Prov. Eng.]
  50. Skŭlk, v. i.p. 1239To get out of the way in a sneaking manner; to lurk. “And skulk behind the subterfuge of art.” Prior. “Not such as prate of war, but skulk in peace.” Byron.
  51. Skŭlk, n.p. 1239A number of foxes together; a herd of foxes. Wright.
  52. Skŭlk or Skŭlk'er, n.p. 1239A person who skulks; one who avoids duty; a lurker; a shirk.
  53. Skŭlk'ing-ly, adv.p. 1239In a skulking manner.
  54. Skŭll, n.p. 1239(Anat.) The bony case which incloses the brain, composed of a number of bones united by sutures, and including the solid organs of manducation. ☞ It is regarded by many osteologists as corresponding…
  55. Skŭll, n.p. 1239A school, company, or shoal. [Obs.] These fishes enter in great flotes and skulls into the sea Pontus. Holland. A knavish skull of boys and girls did pelt at him with stones. Albion's England.
  56. Skŭll'-cäp, n.p. 1239A head-piece; a close-fitting cap. 2. (Bot.) An herbaceous plant of the genus Scutellaria, the calyx of whose flower, when inverted, appears like a helmet with the vizor raised.
  57. Skŭll'-fish, n.p. 1239An old whale, or one more than two years old;—so called by whalers. Simmonds.
  58. Skŭl'pin, n.p. 1239The same as SCULPIN. See SCULPIN.
  59. Skŭm, n.p. 1239The same as SCUM. See SCUM.
  60. Skūnk, n.p. 1239(Zool.) A carnivorous animal of the genus Mephitis, found over a very wide extent of country in North America. It is nearly allied to the weasel on the one hand, and to the otter on the other. This…