Emily Dickinson Lexicon

SKIP'JACK, n.

An upstart. – L'Estrange.

SKIP'-KEN-NEL, n.

A lackey; a footboy.

SKIP'PER, n. [Dan. skipper; D. schipper. See Ship.]

1. The master of a small trading vessel.
2. [from skip.] A dancer.
3. A youngling; a young thoughtless person. – Shak.
4. The honifish, so called.
5. The cheese maggot.

SKIP'PET, n. [See Ship and Skiff.]

A small boat. [Not in use.] – Spenser.

SKIP'PING, ppr.

Leaping; bounding. Skipping notes, in music, are notes that are not in regular course, but separate.

SKIP'PING-LY, adv.

By leaps.

SKIR-MISH, n. [skur'mish; Fr. escarmouche; It. scaramuccia; Sp. escaramuza; Port. escaramuça; G. scharmützel; D. schermutseling; Sw. skärmytsel; Dan. skiermydsel; W. ysgarm, outcry; ysgarmu, to shout; ysgarmes, a shouting, a skirmish; from garm, a shout. The primary sense is to throw or drive. In some of the languages, skirmish appears to be connected with a word signifying defense; but defense is from driving, repelling.]

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. – Shak.

SKIRM'ISH, v.i.

To fight slightly or in small parties.

SKIRM'ISH-ER, n.

One that skirmishes.

SKIRM'ISH-ING, n.

The act of fighting in a loose or slight encounter.

SKIRM'ISH-ING, ppr.

Fighting slightly or in detached parties.

SKIRR, v.i.

To scour; to scud; to run hastily. [Not in use.] Shak.

SKIRR', v.t.

To scour; to ramble over in order to clear. [Not in use.] – Shak.

SKIR'RET, a.

A plant, the Sium Sisarum, a native of China, Cochinchina, Corea, Japan, &c. It has been cultivated in Europe, time immemorial, for the sake of its esculent root, which somewhat resembles the parsnep in flavor. It is eaten boiled, with butter, pepper, &c., or half boiled and subsequently fried. It is a valuable culinary vegetable.

SKIR-RHOS'I-TY, n.

Induration of the glands.

SKIR'RHOUS, a.

1. Pertaining to skirrhus.
2. Affected by skirrhus.

SKIR'RHUS, n. [Gr. σκίῤῥος, a diseased part affected by a peculiar induration.]

In medicine, a hard, rigid, vascular infarction of glandular follicles; indolent; insentient, glabrous; sometimes shrinking and becoming more indurated; when irritated tending to a cancerous ulcer. – Good.

SKIRT, n. [skurt; Sw. skiorta, a shift or close garment; Dan. skior, a petticoat; skiorte, a shirt, a shift. These words seem to be from the root of short, from cutting off.]

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 Sam. xv.
2. The edge of any part of dress. – Addison.
3. Border; edge; margin; extreme part; as, the skirt of a forest; the skirt of a town. – Dryden.
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 a care and protection. Ruth iii.

SKIRT, v.i.

To be on the border; to live near the extremity. Savages … who skirt along our western frontiers. – S. S. Smith.

SKIRT, v.t.

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. Addison.

SKIRT'ED, pp.

Bordered.

SKIRT'ING, n.

In architecture, the narrow vertical boarding on the floor round the sides of an apartment. – Brande.

SKIRT'ING, ppr.

Bordering; forming a border.

SKIT, n.

A wanton girl; a reflection; a jeer or jibe; a whim. [Obs.]

SKIT, v.t. [Sax. scitan; primarily to throw, to shoot.]

To cast reflections. [Local.] – Grose.