Wiktionary

skill

EnglishEdit

 
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PronunciationEdit

  • enPR: skĭl, IPA(key): /skɪl/
  • Audio (US)(file)
  • Rhymes: -ɪl

Etymology 1Edit

From Middle English skill, skille (also schil, schile), from Old English scille and Old Norse skil (“a distinction, discernment, knowledge”), from Proto-Germanic *skilją (“separation, limit”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelH- (“to split, cut”). Cognate with Danish skel (“a separation, boundary, divide”), Swedish skäl (“reason”), Dutch verschil (“difference”) and schillen (“to separate the outer layer (schil) from the product”, verb).

Alternative formsEdit

NounEdit

skill (countable and uncountable, plural skills)

  1. Capacity to do something well; technique, ability. Skills are usually acquired or learned, as opposed to abilities, which are often thought of as innate.
    Synonyms: ability, talent; see also Thesaurus:skill
    Where did you pick up that skill?
    With great skill, she navigated through the tricky passage.
    Doing that coaching course not only taught me useful skills on the field, but also some important life skills.
    • c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merry Wiues of Windsor”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act II, scene i], page 45:
      I have heard the French-man hath good skill in his rapier.
    • 1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter II, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], OCLC 752825175:
      Orion hit a rabbit once; but though sore wounded it got to the bury, and, struggling in, the arrow caught the side of the hole and was drawn out. Indeed, a nail filed sharp is not of much avail as an arrowhead; you must have it barbed, and that was a little beyond our skill.
    • 2013 November 26, Simon Hoggart, “Araucaria's last puzzle: crossword master dies”, in The Guardian Weekly‎[1], volume 189, number 26, page 43:
      The skill was not in creating a grid full of words, but in producing clues cryptic enough to baffle the puzzler, yet constructed so honestly that they could be solved by any intelligent person who knew the conventions.
  2. (obsolete) Discrimination; judgment; propriety; reason; cause.
  3. (obsolete) Knowledge; understanding.
  4. (obsolete) Display of art; exercise of ability; contrivance; address.
    • 1639, Thomas Fuller, “Richard of England and Philip of France Set Forward to the Holy Land; the Danger of the Interviews of Princes”, in The Historie of the Holy Warre, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: […] Thomas Buck, one of the printers to the Universitie of Cambridge [and sold by John Williams, London], OCLC 913016526, book III, page 118:
      Richard was well ſtored with men, the bones; and quickly got money, the ſinews of warre; by a thousand Princely ſkills gathering ſo much coin as if he meant not to return, becauſe looking back would unbowe his reſolution.
Derived termsEdit
Related termsEdit
Related terms
TranslationsEdit

AdjectiveEdit

skill (comparative skiller, superlative skillest)

  1. (UK, slang) Great, excellent. [1980s–1990s]
    • 1987, Teresa Maughan, Letters (in Your Sinclair issue 18, June 1987)
      Well, unfortunately for you, my dearest Waggipoos, I'm much more skill than you!
    • 1991, Wreckers (video game review in Crash issue 88, May 1991)
      This game is skill. Remember that because it's going to sound really complicated.
    • 1999, "Andy Smith", I am well skill (on Internet newsgroup alt.digitiser)
      And I am skiller than you.

Etymology 2Edit

From Middle English skilen (also schillen), partly from Old English scilian (“to separate, part, divide off”); and partly from Old Norse skilja (“to divide, separate”); both from Proto-Germanic *skilōną, *skiljaną (“to divide, limit”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelH- (“to split, cut”). Cognate with Danish skille (“to separate, discard”), Swedish skilja (“to distinguish, differentiate, part”), Icelandic skilja (“to understand”), Low German schelen (“to make a difference; to be squint-eyed”), Dutch schelen (“to make a difference”).

VerbEdit

skill (third-person singular simple present skills, present participle skilling, simple past and past participle skilled)

  1. (transitive) To set apart; separate.
  2. (transitive, chiefly dialectal) To discern; have knowledge or understanding; to know how (to).
    • 1633, George Herbert, “Justice,” in The Temple,[2]
      I cannot skill of these Thy ways […]
  3. (transitive, dialectal, Scotland, Northern England, rare) To know; to understand.
    • 1613, Breadalbane Letters and Documents
      As for the virginals I have none here that skill of them, except the young lord.
    • 17th century, Isaac Barrow, “On Industry in Our Particular Calling as Scholars,”
      […] to skill the arts of expressing our mind and imparting our conceptions with advantage, so as to instruct or persuade others […]
  4. (intransitive) To have knowledge or comprehension; discern.
  5. (intransitive) To have personal or practical knowledge; be versed or practised; be expert or dextrous.
  6. (intransitive, archaic) To make a difference; signify; matter.
    • 1592, Richard Turnbull, An Exposition upon the Canonicall Epistle of Saint Jude, London: John Windet, Sermon 5, p. 67,[3]
      So then the whole scripture of God, being true, whence soever this be delivered and gathered, it skilleth not […]
    • c. 1601–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Twelfe Night, or What You Will”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, OCLC 606515358, [Act V, scene i]:
      […] I should have given’t you to-day morning, but as a madman’s epistles are no gospels, so it skills not much when they are delivered.
    • 1633, George Herbert, “The Church Porch,” in The Temple,[4]
      What skills it, if a bag of stones or gold
      About thy neck do drown thee?
    • 1820, Walter Scott, Ivanhoe; a Romance. […], volume (please specify |volume=I, II, or III), Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co. […], OCLC 230694662:
      But it skills not talking of it.
  7. (video games) To spend acquired points in exchange for skills.
SynonymsEdit
  • (separate): split (call management systems)

ReferencesEdit

AnagramsEdit

Norwegian BokmålEdit

VerbEdit

skill

  1. imperative of skille
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