Skin
Pronunciation
- IPA: /skɪn/
- Rhymes: -ɪn
Origin
From Middle English skinn, from Old Norse skinn ("animal hide"), from Proto-Germanic *skinþą (compare Old English scinn ("hide"), Dutch schinde ("bark"), dialectal German Schinde ("fruit peel")), from Proto-Celtic *skento- (compare Breton skant ("scales"), Old Irish ceinn), from Proto-Indo-European *skend- ("to split off") (compare Irish scainim ("I tear, burst"), Latin scindere ("to split, divide"), Sanskrit (chinátti, "he splits")), nasal variant of *skehâ‚i-d- ("to cut"). More at shed.
Full definition of skin
Noun
skin
(countable and uncountable; plural skins)- (uncountable) The outer protective layer of the body of any animal, including of a human.He is so disgusting he makes my skin crawl.
- (uncountable) The outer protective layer of the fruit of a plant.
- (countable) The skin and fur of an individual animal used by humans for clothing, upholstery, etc.
- (countable) A congealed layer on the surface of a liquid.In order to get to the rest of the paint in the can, you′ll have to remove the skin floating on top of it.
- (countable, computing) A set of resources that modifies the appearance and/or layout of the graphical user interface of a computer program.You can use this skin to change how the browser looks.
- (countable, slang) Rolling paper for cigarettes.Pass me a skin, mate.
- (countable, slang) Short for skinhead
- (Australia) A subgroup of Australian aboriginal people; such divisions are cultural and not related to an individual′s physical skin. 1994, Macquarie Aboriginal Words, Macquarie University, paperback ISBN 0-949757-79-9, Introduction.
- (countable, video games) An alternate appearance (texture map or geometry) for a 3D character model in a video game.
- (slang) Bare flesh, particularly bare breasts.Let me see a bit of skin.
- A vessel made of skin, used for holding liquids.
- Tennysonskins of wine
- (nautical) That part of a sail, when furled, which remains on the outside and covers the whole.
- (nautical) The covering, as of planking or iron plates, outside the framing, forming the sides and bottom of a vessel; the shell; also, a lining inside the framing.
Synonyms
- (outer covering of living tissue) dermis, integument, tegument
- (outer protective layer of a plant or animal) peel of fruit or vegetable, pericarp
- (skin of an animal used by humans) hide, pelt
- (congealed layer on the surface of a liquid) film
- (subgroup of Australian Aboriginals) moiety, section, subsection
Derived terms
Verb
- (transitive) To injure the skin of.He fell off his bike and skinned his knee on the concrete.
- (transitive) To remove the skin and/or fur of an animal or a human.
- (colloquial) To high five.
- (transitive, computing, colloquial) To apply a skin to (a computer program).Can I skin the application to put the picture of my cat on it?
- (UK, soccer, transitive) To use tricks to go past a defender.
- 2011, January 30, Kevin Darlng, Arsenal 2 - 1 Huddersfield, The Russian, sometimes out of sorts in recent weeks, was seeing plenty of the ball on the left-hand side up against Hunt, a 20-year-old right-back making his first Huddersfield start. Arshavin skinned the youngster at the first opportunity and crossed for Bendtner, who could not direct his close-range effort on target.
- (intransitive) To become covered with skin.A wound eventually skins over.
- (transitive) To cover with skin, or as if with skin; hence, to cover superficially.
- ShakespeareIt will but skin and film the ulcerous place.
- (US, slang, archaic) To produce, in recitation, examination, etc., the work of another for one's own, or to use cribs, memoranda, etc., which are prohibited.
- (slang, dated) To strip of money or property; to cheat.