Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

skean

American  
[skeen, skee-uhn] / skin, ˈski ən /
Also skene

noun

  1. a knife or dagger formerly used in Ireland and in the Scottish Highlands.


skean British  
/ skiːn /

noun

  1. a kind of double-edged dagger formerly used in Ireland and Scotland

"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

Etymology

Origin of skean

1520–30; < Scots Gaelic sgian or Irish scian

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He described the defeat as "the night of long skean dhus".

From BBC • Jun. 2, 2015

Last week at 98 he was the oldest Highland chieftain, with tasseled sporran and a jeweled skean dhus dirk in his stocking.

From Time Magazine Archive

"Tyr-owen!" yelled Brian, and dropping his sword, but holding his skean firmly, he hurdled the stern-walk railing and leaped.

From Nuala O'Malley by Bedford-Jones, H.

The other sop resorted to by these fellows is the middogue, or skean, and, as they contrive to manage its application, it is the surer of the two.

From The Evil Eye; Or, The Black Spector The Works of William Carleton, Volume One by Carleton, William

I moved backward, hand on my skean, braced for a sudden rush.

From The Door Through Space by Bradley, Marion Zimmer

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember "skean" for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com