Emily Dickinson Lexicon

SKIT'TISH, a. [Qu. Fr. ecouteux. See Scud.]

1. Shy; easily frightened; shunning familiarity; timorous; as, a restif skittish jade. – L'Estrange.
2. Wanton; volatile; hasty. – Shak.
3. Changeable; fickle; as, skittish fortune. – Shak.

SKIT'TISH-LY, adv.

Shyly; wantonly; changeably.

SKIT'TISH-NESS, n.

1. Shyness; aptness to fear approach; timidity.
2. Fickleness; wantonness.

SKIT'TLES, n.

Nine pins. – Warton.

SKI'VER, n. [G. schiefern, to shiver, to scale; D. schyf, a slice; Dan. skive, a slice, skifer, skiver, a slate.]

A split skin; sheepskin, used in binding books.

SKOL'E-ZITE, n.

A mineral allied to Thomsonite, occurring crystalized 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, (σκωληξ,) and becomes opake, and is converted into a blebby colorless glass. Phillips.

SKONCE, n. [or v. See SCONCE.]

SKOR'O-DITE, n. [Gr. σκοροδων, garlic; from its smell under the blowpipe.]

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 crystalized in rectangular prisms. Ure. Phillips.

SKOR'ZITE, n. [from Skorza.]

A variety of epidote.

SKREEN, n. [or v. See SCREEN.]

SKRINGE, n. [or v.]

properly scringe; a vulgar corruption of cringe.

SKUE, adv. [or v. See SKEW.]

SKUG, v.t.

To hide. [Local.]

SKULK, v.i.

To lurk; to withdraw into a corner or into a close place for concealment. [See Sculk.]

SKULK'ED, pp.

Lurked; concealed.

SKULK'ING, ppr.

Lurking; withdrawing into a close place for concealment.

SKULK'ING-LY, adv.

In a skulking manner.

SKULL, n. [Sw. skalle, skull; skal, a shell; Dan. skal, a shell, the skull, and skoll, the skull; D. scheel; G. hirnschale, brain shell; Sp. cholla. See Shell.]

1. The bone that forms the exterior of the head, and incloses the brain. It is composed of several parts united at the sutures.
2. A person. Skulls that can not teach and will not learn. Cowper.
3. Skull, for shoal or school, of fish. [Not used.]

SKULL'CAP, n.

1. A head piece.
2. A plant of the genus Scutellaria. Encyc.

SKUNK, n.

A digitigrade carnivorous mammal, the Mephitis Americana, found over a very wide extent of country, both in North and South America. It is nearly allied to the weasel on the one hand, and to the otter on the other. This animal has two glands near the inferior extremity of the alimentary canal, which secrete an extremely fetid liquor, and which the animal has the power of emitting at pleasure as a means of defense. This liquor possesses valuable medicinal powers, but its extreme offensiveness interferes with its use.

SKUNK'CAB-BAGE, or SKUNK'WEED, n.

A plant, the Ictodes fœtidus, so named from its smell. Bigelow.

SKUTE, n.

A boat. [See Scow.]

SKY, n. [Sw. sky, Dan. skye, a cloud; Dan. sky-himmel, the vault of heaven.]

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. – Milton.
2. The heavens. – Dryden.
3. The weather; the climate. – Johnson.
4. A cloud; a shadow. [Obs.] – Gower.

SKY'-BLUE, a.

Of the blue color of the sky.

SKY'-BORN, a.

Born or produced in the sky. – Collins.