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definitions

skelf

/ (skɛlf) /

noun Scot and Northern English dialect

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

Nearby words

  1. skeleton,
  2. skeleton car,
  3. skeleton in the closet,
  4. skeleton key,
  5. skeletonize,
  6. skelic index,
  7. skell,
  8. skellum,
  9. skelly,
  10. skelm

Word Origin for skelf

from Scottish; see shelf
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

Examples 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