skin
//skɪn//
Forms
- Plural
- skins
- present (v1)
- skin
- past (v2)
- skinned
- past participle (v3)
- skinned
- present participle
- skinning
- 3rd person singular
- skins
Definitions
1.The outer protective layer of the body of any animal, including of a human.
- He is so disgusting he makes my skin crawl.
- Her skin is pale like chicken skin, after you have peel[ed] all the feathers.
2.The outer protective layer of the fruit of a plant.
3.A congealed layer on the surface of a liquid.
- Do you eat the skin on custard?
- In order to get to the rest of the paint in the can, you′ll have to remove the skin floating on top of it.
4.The skin and fur of an individual animal used by humans for clothing, upholstery, etc.
1.To high five.(colloquial)
2.To injure the skin of.
- He fell off his bike and skinned his knee on the concrete.
3.To remove the skin and/or fur of an animal or a human.
4.To apply a skin to (a computer program).(colloquial)
- Can I skin the application to put the picture of my cat on it?
Frequency
Overall
Common· #1166
By learning goal
- Everyday conversation
- Rare
- General reading & writing
- Common
- Academic
- Rare
- Literature
- Uncommon
Etymology
From Middle English skyn, skinn, from Old English scinn, from Old Norse skinn (“animal hide”), from Proto-Germanic *skinþą, from Proto-Indo-European *sken- (“to split off”), nasal variant of *skeh₁i-d- (“to cut”). Partially displaced native Old English hȳd (“skin, hide”), from which derives hide.