skelf

/ (skɛlf) /

noun Scot and Northern English dialect

a splinter of wood, esp when embedded accidentally in the skin
a thin or diminutive person

QUIZZES

DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?
Question 1 of 10
decorum
the act of or need for making up one's mind.
dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Word Origin for skelf

from Scottish; see shelf

Words nearby skelf

skeleton, skeleton car, skeleton in the closet, skeleton key, skeletonize, skelf, skelic index, skell, skellum, skelly, skelm
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

Example sentences from the Web for skelf

  • They're her beuks maistly upo' the skelf there abune yer ain, Mr. Sutherlan'.

    David Elginbrod|George MacDonald

  • It wasna an ill w'y to beery fowk, nor an ill place to gang til, for they aye biggit up the skelf, ye ken.

    Heather and Snow|George MacDonald