Skink

//skɪŋk// noun, verb

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A shin of beef. Northern-England, Scotland

    "lean sirloin, skink and pot-roast"

  2. 2
    A lizard of the family Scincidae, having small or reduced limbs or none at all and long tails that are regenerated when shed; a sandfish.
  3. 3
    A drink. obsolete
  4. 4
    alert agile lizard with reduced limbs and an elongated body covered with shiny scales; more dependent on moisture than most lizards; found in tropical regions worldwide wordnet
  5. 5
    A soup or pottage made from a boiled shin of beef. Scotland, obsolete

    "For there are in the Flesh , Bones , Skinnes , organs , and the severall limbes of the living body : such spirits as are in the Flesh , Bone , and Skinke , beeing separated"

Show 1 more definition
  1. 6
    Usually preceded by a descriptive word: a soup or pottage made using other ingredients. Scotland, broadly

    "Cullen skink"

Verb
  1. 1
    To serve (a drink). Scotland, ambitransitive

    "Such wine as Ganymede doth skink to Jove, / When he invites the gods to feast with him / On Juno's wedding-day."

  2. 2
    To give (something) as a present. Northern-England, Scotland, obsolete, transitive

Etymology

Etymology 1

Possibly from Middle Low German schink, schinke, schenke (“leg; shank; shin bone; ham”), from Old Saxon skinka, from Proto-West Germanic *skinkō (“shank; thigh; that which is bent”), from Proto-Germanic *skinkô, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)keng- (“to limp; to be crooked, slant”). The word is cognate with Danish skinke (“ham”), Middle Dutch schenke, schinke (“shin; hough; ham”), Icelandic skinka (“ham”), Norwegian skinke (“ham”), Old English ġesċincio, ġesċinco (“kidney fat”), Old High German skinka, skinko (“shank; shin bone”) (Middle High German schinke (“shank; shin bone; ham”), modern German Schinken (“ham; pork from the hindquarters”)), Old Saxon skinka (“ham”), Old Swedish skinke (modern Swedish skinka (“ham”)).

Etymology 2

From Middle French scinc, from Latin scincus, from Ancient Greek σκίγγος (skíngos), σκίγκος (skínkos).

Etymology 3

From Middle English skinken, skynken, skenken, from Middle Dutch scinken, scenken, schenken and/or Old Norse skenkja, both from Proto-Germanic *skankijaną. Cognate with German schenken (“to give as a present”), Dutch schenken (“to pour, give as a present”). See also the inherited doublet shink.

Etymology 4

From Middle English skinken, skynken, skenken, from Middle Dutch scinken, scenken, schenken and/or Old Norse skenkja, both from Proto-Germanic *skankijaną. Cognate with German schenken (“to give as a present”), Dutch schenken (“to pour, give as a present”). See also the inherited doublet shink.

Next best steps

Mini challenge

Unscramble this word: skink