skean

[ skeen, skee-uhn ]

/ skin, ˈski ən /

Save This Word!

noun

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

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Also skene

[skeen] /skin/ .

Origin of skean

1520–30; <Scots Gaelic sgian or Irish scian

Words nearby skean

skatepark, skater, skate ski, skatole, Skaw, skean, skean dhu, Skeat, sked, skedaddle, skedaddler

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use skean in a sentence

Kyral's face changed as she spoke; he drew a long breath and threw the whip down beside my skean on the floor.
The Door Through Space|Marion Zimmer Bradley
The big lunk made a grab at the girl, and I whipped out my skean and pantomimed.
The Door Through Space|Marion Zimmer Bradley
Suddenly, so swiftly my eyes could hardly follow, he whipped out his skean and came at me.
The Door Through Space|Marion Zimmer Bradley
It is the only thing I could get, but I sharpened it myself; it has an edge like a skean.'
The Purcell Papers|Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu

For an instant the shock drove the breath out of Brian, then he felt a hand close on his throat, and struck out with his skean.
Nuala O'Malley|H. Bedford-Jones

British Dictionary definitions for skean

skean

/ (skiːn) /

noun

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

Word Origin for skean

from Irish and Scottish Gaelic scian

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

skean

Origin of skean

Words nearby skean

Words related to skean

How to use skean in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for skean

Word Origin for skean