skean

1 of 2

variants or skeane

less common spellings of skein

skean

2 of 2

noun

ˈskē(-ə)n

variants or skene

: dagger, dirk

Examples of skean in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Didion’s missives were keenly observant, full of language that cut like a skean. —

Erin Overbey, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'skean.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English skene, from Irish scian & Scottish Gaelic sgian, from Old Irish scían; probably akin to Sanskrit chyati he cuts off — more at science

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of skean was in the 15th century

See more words from the same century