sky

[skahy]

noun, plural skies. Often skies (for defs 1–4).

the region of the clouds or the upper air; the upper atmosphere of the earth: airplanes in the sky; cloudy skies.

the heavens or firmament, appearing as a great arch or vault.

the supernal or celestial heaven: They looked to the sky for help.

the climate: the sunny skies of Italy.

Obsolete. a cloud.

verb (used with object), skied or skyed, sky·ing.

Informal. to raise, throw, or hit aloft or into the air.

Informal. to hang (a painting) high on a wall, above the line of vision.

Verb Phrases

sky up, Falconry. (of prey, when flushed) to fly straight upward.

Idioms

out of a/the clear sky, without advance notice or warning; abruptly: An old beau phoned her out of a clear sky.Also out of a/the clear blue sky.

to the skies, with lavishness or enthusiasm; extravagantly: to praise someone to the skies.Also to the sky.

Origin of sky

1175–1225; Middle English < Old Norse skȳ cloud, cognate with Old English scēo cloud

Related formssky·less, adjectivesky·like, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for out of a clear blue sky

sky

noun plural skies

(sometimes plural) the apparently dome-shaped expanse extending upwards from the horizon that is characteristically blue or grey during the day, red in the evening, and black at nightRelated adjectives: celestial, empyrean

outer space, as seen from the earth

(often plural) weather, as described by the appearance of the upper airsunny skies

the source of divine power; heaven

informal the highest level of attainmentthe sky's the limit

to the skies highly; extravagantly

verb skies, skying or skied

rowing to lift (the blade of an oar) too high before a stroke

(tr) informal to hit (a ball) high in the air

Derived Formsskylike, adjective

Word Origin for sky

C13: from Old Norse skӯ; related to Old English scio cloud, Old Saxon skio, Old Norse skjār transparent skin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for out of a clear blue sky

sky

c.1200, "a cloud," from Old Norse sky "cloud," from Proto-Germanic *skeujam "cloud, cloud cover" (cf. Old English sceo, Old Saxon scio "cloud, region of the clouds, sky;" Old High German scuwo, Old English scua, Old Norse skuggi "shadow;" Gothic skuggwa "mirror"), from PIE root *(s)keu- "to cover, conceal" (see hide (n.1)).

Meaning "upper regions of the air" is attested from c.1300; replaced native heofon in this sense (see heaven). In Middle English, the word can still mean both "cloud" and "heaven," as still in the skies, originally "the clouds." Sky-high is from 1812; phrase the sky's the limit is attested from 1908. Sky-dive first recorded 1965; sky-writing is from 1922.

sky

"to raise or throw toward the skies," 1802, from sky (n.).

out of a clear blue sky in Science

sky

[skī]

The atmosphere, as seen from a given point on the Earth's surface. The sky appears to be blue because the wavelengths associated with blue light are scattered more easily than those that are associated with the other colors.

Idioms and Phrases with out of a clear blue sky

out of a clear blue sky

Also, out of the blue. Without warning, suddenly, as in Her offer to help us with the fundraising came out of a clear blue sky, or We got a check from Aunt Ruby out of the blue. These metaphoric terms allude to something dropping unexpectedly from the sky. [Late 1800s] Also see out of nowhere.

sky

In addition to the idiom beginning with sky

, also see

blow sky-high
out of a clear blue sky
pie in the sky

reach for the sky.