skink¹

[skingk]

noun

any of numerous lizards of the family Scincidae, common in many regions of the Old and New World, typically having flat, smooth, overlapping scales and comprising terrestrial, arboreal, and fossorial species.

Origin of skink¹

1580–90; < Latin scincus < Greek skínkos lizard

skink²

[skingk]

verb (used with object) Scot. Dialect.

to serve (a beverage).

Origin of skink²

1350–1400; Middle English skynken < Middle Dutch schenken, schinken; cognate with Old English scencan, German schenken

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for skink

Contemporary Examples

But if Hiaasen were none of those things, if all he had ever done was to create the character of Skink, that would be enough.
Can Carl Hiaasen Save Florida?
Malcolm Jones
September 19, 2014
True, the story contains no sex scenes and no swearing, and its protagonists, other than Skink, are two plucky teenagers.
Can Carl Hiaasen Save Florida?
Malcolm Jones
September 19, 2014
And with Skink as his guide, Richard discovers the pleasures of the unplugged life.
Can Carl Hiaasen Save Florida?
Malcolm Jones
September 19, 2014

Historical Examples

I watched a kingfisher capture and swallow a skink on January 14.
The Avifauna of Micronesia, Volume 3
Rollin H. Baker
To judge from specimens available, E. dugesi probably is the most abundant and widespread species of skink in the state.
The Amphibians and Reptiles of Michoacn, Mxico
William E. Duellman
The shape and size of some of the excavations suggested predation on skink nests.
Ecology of the Opossum on a Natural Area in Northeastern Kansas
Henry S. Fitch
Like all its tribe, the Skink loves sandy localities, the soil exactly suiting its peculiar habits.
Bible Animals;
J. G. Wood
Nevertheless, in about five minutes the skink had swallowed it entire.
Life History and Ecology of the Five-lined Skink, Eumeces fasciatus
Henry S. Fitch

British Dictionary definitions for skink

skink

noun

any lizard of the family Scincidae, commonest in tropical Africa and Asia, having reduced limbs and an elongated body covered with smooth scalesRelated adjective: scincoid

Word Origin

C16: from Latin scincus a lizard, from Greek skinkos

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

Word Origin and History for skink

n.

1580s, from Middle French scinc (Modern French scinque), from Latin scincus, from Greek skinkos, some kind of lizard common in Asia and North Africa, of unknown origin.

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skink2

Origin of skink2

Examples from the Web for skink

Contemporary Examples

But if Hiaasen were none of those things, if all he had ever done was to create the character of Skink, that would be enough.

True, the story contains no sex scenes and no swearing, and its protagonists, other than Skink, are two plucky teenagers.

And with Skink as his guide, Richard discovers the pleasures of the unplugged life.

Historical Examples

I watched a kingfisher capture and swallow a skink on January 14.

To judge from specimens available, E. dugesi probably is the most abundant and widespread species of skink in the state.

The shape and size of some of the excavations suggested predation on skink nests.

Like all its tribe, the Skink loves sandy localities, the soil exactly suiting its peculiar habits.

Nevertheless, in about five minutes the skink had swallowed it entire.