definitions

skite

1

or skyte

[ skahyt ]
/ skaɪt /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR skite ON THESAURUS.COM

noun Scot. and North England.

a quick, oblique blow or stroke; a chopping blow.
a joke or prank.
the butt of a joke or prank.
a person whose opinions are not taken seriously; one held in mild contempt.

RELATED WORDS

egotist, blowhard, braggadocio, bouncer, crower, fanfaron, gascon, ruffler

Nearby words

skirting, skirting board, skirtings, skit, skitch, skite, skitter, skittery, skittish, skittishly, skittle

Origin of skite

1
1775–85; perhaps < Scandinavian; cf. skeet3

Definition for skite (2 of 2)

skite

2
[ skahyt ]
/ skaɪt /

verb (used without object), skit·ed, skit·ing. Australian.

to boast; brag.

Origin of skite

2
origin uncertain
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for skite

  • Therefore be assured that to-morrow I will make this vain-glorious Englishman to skite vinegar before all the world.

    Gargantua and Pantagruel, Complete.|Francois Rabelais

  • "Then none o' your skite, mate," said Bill, knocking out a clay pipe against his heel.

    The Boss of Taroomba|E. W. Hornung

  • His "skite" had cost him a good deal of money, and he intended to make good some of the loss by economising on his marriage.

    In Accordance with the Evidence|Oliver Onions

British Dictionary definitions for skite (1 of 2)

skite

1
/ (skəɪt) Scot /

verb

(intr) to slide or slip, as on ice
(tr) to strike with a sharp or glancing blow

noun

an instance of sliding or slipping
a sharp or glancing blow
on the skite or on a skite Scot and Irish on a drinking spree

Word Origin for skite

C18: of uncertain origin

British Dictionary definitions for skite (2 of 2)

skite

2
/ (skaɪt) Australian and NZ informal /

verb (intr)

to boast

noun

boastful talk
a person who boasts

Word Origin for skite

C19: from Scottish and northern English dialect; see skate ³
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 skite

skite

n.

"contemptible person," 1790, Scottish and Northern, earlier "sudden stroke or blow" (1785), perhaps from Old Norse skyt-, from skjota "to shoot" (see shoot (v.)). Cf. Old Norse skita "to shit," which might have had some influence.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper