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definitions

skellum

[ skel-uh m ]
/ ˈskɛl əm /
|

noun Chiefly Scot.

a rascal.

Nearby words

  1. skeleton key,
  2. skeletonize,
  3. skelf,
  4. skelic index,
  5. skell,
  6. skelly,
  7. skelm,
  8. skelmersdale,
  9. skelp,
  10. skelter

Origin of skellum

1605–15; < Dutch schelm rogue, knave < Middle Low German; cognate with German Schelm rogue, Old High German skelmo, scalmo plague, corpse
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for skellum

  • Old Coetzee saved me the trouble of answering, for he broke in with Skellum!

    Prester John|John Buchan
British Dictionary definitions for skellum

skellum

/ (ˈskɛləm) /

noun

archaic, dialect, or Southern African a rogue

Word Origin for skellum

C17: via Dutch from Old High German skelmo devil
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