Skrite Skrite noun (Zoology) The skrike. [ Prov. Eng.]

Skua Sku"a noun [ Icelandic sk...fr , sk...mr .] (Zoology) Any jager gull; especially, the Megalestris skua ; -- called also boatswain .

Skue Skue adjective & noun See Skew .

Skulk Skulk intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Skulked ; present participle & verbal noun Skulking .] [ Of Scand. origin; confer Danish skulke to spare or save one's self, to play the truant, Swedish skolka to be at leisure, to shirk, Icelandic skolla . Confer Scowl .] To hide, or get out of the way, in a sneaking manner; to lie close, or to move in a furtive way; to lurk. "Want skulks in holes and crevices." W. C. Bryant.

Discovered and defeated of your prey,
You skulked behind the fence, and sneaked away.

Dryden.

Skulk Skulk noun [ Confer Icelandic skollr , skolli , a fox, and English skulk , v.i.] A number of foxes together. Wright.

Skulk, Skulker Skulk, Skulk"er noun One who, or that which, skulks.

Skulkingly Skulk"ing·ly adverb In a skulking manner.

Skull Skull noun [ See School a multitude.] A school, company, or shoal. [ Obsolete]

A knavish skull of boys and girls did pelt at him.

Warner.

These fishes enter in great flotes and skulls.

Holland.

Skull Skull noun [ Middle English skulle , sculle , scolle ; akin to Scot. skull , skoll , a bowl, Swedish skalle skull, skal a shell, and English scale ; confer G. hirn schale , Dan. hierne skal . Confer Scale of a balance.] 1. (Anat.) The skeleton of the head of a vertebrate animal, including the brain case, or cranium, and the bones and cartilages of the face and mouth. See Illusts . of Carnivora , of Facial angles under Facial , and of Skeleton , in Appendix.

» In many fishes the skull is almost wholly cartilaginous but in the higher vertebrates it is more or less completely ossified, several bones are developed in the face, and the cranium is made up, wholly or partially, of bony plates arranged in three segments, the frontal , parietal , and occipital , and usually closely united in the adult.

2. The head or brain; the seat of intelligence; mind.

Skulls that can not teach, and will not learn.

Cowper.

3. A covering for the head; a skullcap. [ Obsolete & R.]

Let me put on my skull first.

Beau. & Fl.

4. A sort of oar. See Scull .

Skull and crossbones , a symbol of death. See Crossbones .

Skullcap Skull"cap` noun 1. A cap which fits the head closely; also, formerly, a headpiece of iron sewed inside of a cap for protection.

2. (Botany) Any plant of the labiate genus Scutellaria , the calyx of whose flower appears, when inverted, like a helmet with the visor raised.

3. (Zoology) The Lophiomys.

Mad-dog skullcap (Botany) , an American herb ( Scetellaria lateriflora ) formerly prescribed as a cure for hydrophobia.

Skullfish Skull"fish` noun A whaler's name for a whale more than two years old.

Skulpin Skul"pin noun (Zoology) See Sculpin .

Skun Skun noun & v. See Scum .

Skunk Skunk noun [ Contr. from the Abenaki (American Indian) seganku .] (Zoology) Any one of several species of American musteline carnivores of the genus Mephitis and allied genera. They have two glands near the anus, secreting an extremely fetid liquid, which the animal ejects at pleasure as a means of defense.

» The common species of the Eastern United States ( Mephitis mephitica ) is black with more or less white on the body and tail. The spotted skunk ( Spilogale putorius ), native of the Southwestern United States and Mexico, is smaller than the common skunk, and is variously marked with black and white.

Skunk bird , Skunk blackbird (Zoology) , the bobolink; -- so called because the male, in the breeding season, is black and white, like a skunk. -- Skunk cabbage (Botany) , an American aroid herb ( Symplocarpus fœtidus >) having a reddish hornlike spathe in earliest spring, followed by a cluster of large cabbagelike leaves. It exhales a disagreeable odor. Also called swamp cabbage . -- Skunk porpoise . (Zoology) See under Porpoise .

Skunk Skunk transitive verb In games of chance and skill: To defeat (an opponent) (as in cards) so that he fails to gain a point, or (in checkers) to get a king. [ Colloq. U. S.]

Skunkball Skunk"ball` noun (Zoology) The surf duck.

Skunkhead Skunk"head` noun (Zoology) (a) The surf duck. (b) A duck ( Camptolaimus Labradorus ) which formerly inhabited the Atlantic coast of New England. It is now supposed to be extinct. Called also Labrador duck , and pied duck .

Skunkish Skunk"ish adjective Like the skunk, especially in odor.

Skunktop Skunk"top` noun (Zoology) The surf duck.

Skunkweed Skunk"weed` noun (Botany) Skunk cabbage.

Skurry Skur"ry noun & v. See Scurry .

Skute Skute noun [ Icelandic sk...ta ; akin to Swedish skuta , Danish skude , Dutch schuit , Lg. schüte , and English schoot , v.t.] A boat; a small vessel. [ Obsolete] Sir R. Williams.

Skutterudite Skut"ter·ud·ite noun [ From Skutterud , in Norway, whence it is obtained.] (Min.) A mineral of a bright metallic luster and tin-white to pale lead- gray color. It consists of arsenic and cobalt.

Sky Sky (skī) noun ; plural Skies (skīz). [ Middle English skie a cloud, Icelandic skȳ ; akin to Swedish & Danish sky ; confer Anglo-Saxon scūa , scūwa , shadow, Icelandic skuggi ; probably from the same root as English scum . √158. See Scum , and confer Hide skin, Obscure .] 1. A cloud. [ Obsolete]

[ A wind] that blew so hideously and high,
That it ne lefte not a sky
In all the welkin long and broad.

Chaucer.

2. Hence, a shadow. [ Obsolete]

She passeth as it were a sky .

Gower.

3. The apparent arch, or vault, of heaven, which in a clear day is of a blue color; the heavens; the firmament; - - sometimes in the plural.

The Norweyan banners flout the sky .

Shak.

4. The wheather; the climate.

Thou wert better in thy grave than to answer with thy uncovered body this extremity of the skies .

Shak.

» Sky is often used adjectively or in the formation of self-explaining compounds; as, sky color, sky light, sky -aspiring, sky -born, sky -pointing, sky - roofed, etc.

Sky blue , an azure color. -- Sky scraper (Nautical) , a skysail of a triangular form. Totten. -- Under open sky , out of doors. " Under open sky adored." Milton.

Sky Sky transitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Skied or Skyed ; present participle & verbal noun Skying .] 1. To hang (a picture on exhibition) near the top of a wall, where it can not be well seen. [ Colloq.]

Brother Academicians who skied his pictures.

The Century.

2. To throw towards the sky; as, to sky a ball at cricket. [ Colloq.]

Sky pilot Sky pilot (Aëronautics) A person licensed as a pilot. [ Slang]

Sky-blue Sky"-blue adjective Having the blue color of the sky; azure; as, a sky-blue stone. Wordsworth.

Sky-high Sky"-high` adverb & adjective Very high. [ Colloq.]

Skye terrier Skye" ter"ri·er (Zoology) See Terrier .

Skyed Skyed adjective Surrounded by sky. [ Poetic & R.] "The skyed mountain." Thomson.

Skyey Sky"ey adjective Like the sky; ethereal; being in the sky. " Skyey regions." Thackeray.

Sublime on the towers of my skyey bowers,
Lightning, my pilot, sits.

Shelley.

Skyish Sky"ish adjective Like the sky, or approaching the sky; lofty; ethereal. [ R.] Shak.

Skylark Sky"lark` noun (Zoology) A lark that mounts and sings as it files, especially the common species ( Alauda arvensis ) found in Europe and in some parts of Asia, and celebrated for its melodious song; -- called also sky laverock . See under Lark .

» The Australian skylark ( Cincloramphus cantillans ) is a pipit which has the habit of ascending perpendicularly like a skylark, but it lacks the song of a true lark. The Missouri skylark is a pipit ( Anthus Spraguei ) of the Western United States, resembling the skylark in habit and song.

Skylarking Sky"lark"ing noun The act of running about the rigging of a vessel in sport; hence, frolicking; scuffing; sporting; carousing. [ Colloq.]

Skylight Sky"light` noun A window placed in the roof of a building, in the ceiling of a room, or in the deck of a ship, for the admission of light from above.

Skyman Sky"man noun ; plural - men . An aëronaut. [ Slang]

Skyrocket Sky"rock`et noun A rocket that ascends high and burns as it flies; a species of fireworks.

Skysail Sky"sail noun (Nautical) The sail set next above the royal. See Illust. under Sail .

Skyscraper Sky"scrap`er noun (a) (Nautical) (1) A skysail of a triangular form. [ Rare] (2) A name for the one of the fancy sails alleged to have been sometimes set above the skysail. [ Obsolete] (b) A very tall building. (c) Hence, anything usually large, high, or excessive. [ Slang or Colloq.]

Skyward Sky"ward adjective & adverb Toward the sky.

Slab Slab noun [ Middle English slabbe , of uncertain origin; perhaps originally meaning, a smooth piece, and akin to slape , Icelandic sleipr slippery, and English slip , intransitive verb ] 1. A thin piece of anything, especially of marble or other stone, having plane surfaces. Gwilt.

2. An outside piece taken from a log or timber in sawing it into boards, planks, etc.

3. (Zoology) The wryneck. [ Prov. Eng.]

4. (Nautical) The slack part of a sail.

Slab line (Nautical) , a line or small rope by which seamen haul up the foot of the mainsail or foresail. Totten.

Slab Slab adjective [ Confer Gael. & Ir. slaib mud, mire left on a river strand, and English slop puddle.] Thick; viscous. [ Obsolete]

Make the gruel thick and slab .

Shak.

Slab Slab noun That which is slimy or viscous; moist earth; mud; also, a puddle. [ Obsolete] Evelyn.

Slab"ber intransitive verb [ imperfect & past participle Slabbered ; present participle & verbal noun Slabbering .] [ Middle English slaberen ; akin to LG. & Dutch slabbern , German schlabbern , LG. & Dutch slabben , German schlabben , Icelandic slafra . Confer Slaver , Slobber , Slubber .] To let saliva or some liquid fall from the mouth carelessly, like a child or an idiot; to drivel; to drool. [ Written also slaver , and slobber .]

Slab-sided Slab"-sid`ed adjective Having flat sides; hence, tall, or long and lank. [ Colloq. U. S.]

Slabber Slab"ber transitive verb 1. To wet and foul spittle, or as if with spittle.

He slabbered me over, from cheek to cheek, with his great tongue.

Arbuthnot.

2. To spill liquid upon; to smear carelessly; to spill, as liquid foed or drink, in careless eating or drinking.

The milk pan and cream pot so slabbered and tost
That butter is wanting and cheese is half lost.

Tusser.

Slabber Slab"ber noun Spittle; saliva; slaver.

Slabber Slab"ber noun [ See 1st Slab .] (Machinery) (a) A saw for cutting slabs from logs. (b) A slabbing machine.

Slabberer Slab"ber·er noun One who slabbers, or drools; hence, an idiot.

Slabbery Slab"ber·y adjective Like, or covered with, slabber or slab; slippery; sloppy.

Slabbiness Slab"bi·ness noun Quality of being slabby.

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