skein

1 of 2

noun

ˈskān 

1

or less commonly skean or skeane

ˈskān 

: a loosely coiled length of yarn or thread wound on a reel

2

: something suggesting the twists or coils of a skein : tangle

3

: a flock of wildfowl (such as geese or ducks) in flight

skein

2 of 2

verb

skeined; skeining; skeins

transitive verb

: to wind into skeins

skein yarn

Examples of skein in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

In the ’90s, the two artists collaborated on an installation in which a thick skein of synthetic black hair connected their grade school class portraits, taken in Toronto and Honolulu. —Jenny Wu, ARTnews.com, 6 Nov. 2024

From wisps of activity, elaborate skeins of experience arise. —Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2024

Linea del Tiempo, an installation of eighteen hanging wool skeins by Gutiérrez, each dyed a different shade, demonstrates the process. —Harrison Jacobs, ARTnews.com, 19 Sep. 2024

When the hagfish lets loose with a shot of slime, the skeins uncoil and combine with the salt water, blowing up more than 10,000 times its original size. —Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 20 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English skeyne, from Middle French (Picard) escagne, probably from Vulgar Latin *scamnia, from *scamniare to wind yarn, from *scamnium rack for holding bobbins, from Latin scamnum bench, stool — more at shambles

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1775, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

skein

noun

ˈskān

: a looped length of yarn or thread put up in a loose twist after it is taken from the reel