Skill

Pronunciation

• IPA: /skɪl/
• Rhymes: -ɪl

From Middle English skilen (also schillen), partly from Old English scylian, scielian ("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)kalǝ-, *(s)kelǝ- ("to split, cut"). Cognate with Danish skille ("to separate, discard"), Swedish skilja ("to distinguish, differentiate, part"), Icelandic skilja ("to understand"), Dutch schelen ("to make a difference").

Full definition of skill

Verb

1. (transitive) To set apart; separate.
2. (transitive, chiefly dialectal) To discern; have knowledge or understanding; to know how (to).
• unknown date Herbert:I can not skill of these thy ways.
3. (transitive) To know; to understand.
• Barrowto skill the arts of expressing our mind
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.
• unknown date Herbert:What skills it, if a bag of stones or gold
  About thy neck do drown thee?
• unknown date Sir Walter Scott:It skills not talking of it.

Synonyms

• (separate) split (call management systems)

From Middle English skill, skille (also schil, schile), from Old English *scile and Old Norse skil ("a distinction, discernment, knowledge"), from Proto-Germanic *skilin ("separation, limit"), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kalǝ-, *(s)kelǝ- ("to split, cut"). Cognate with Danish skel ("a separation, boundary, divide"), Swedish skäl ("reason"), Dutch verschil ("difference") and schillen ("to sperate the outer layer (schil) from the product", v.).

Noun

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.
• 2013-12-06, Simon Hoggart, Araucaria's last puzzle: crossword master dies, 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.
• John Milton (1608-1674)Nor want we skill or art.
4. (obsolete) Display of art; exercise of ability; contrivance; address.
• Henry Blake Fuller?? (1857-1929)Richard...by a thousand princely skills, gathering so much corn as if he meant not to return.

Synonyms

• ability
• talent

Derived terms

• skillset

Related terms

• skilful, skillful
• skilled
• skillfulness

Adjective

1. (UK, slang) great, excellent
• 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.

Anagrams

• kills