noun
skein
Skein (noun) means a loosely wound coil of thread or yarn, gathered together after being taken off a reel.
noun
1
A loosely wound coil of thread or yarn, gathered together after being taken off a reel.
2
Something shaped like a loosely wound coil of thread or yarn.
"High above the swallows and 2 miles or so out into the Channel was a skein of geese, probably brent geese on the first day of their emigration from the estuaries of the Channel coast towards the high Arctic tundra of Spitsbergen or Russia."
— Laurence Rose, France (2018)
3
The thin covering surrounding the eggs inside a fish.
4
A group of wild birds, such as geese, flying together.
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Etymology
The noun comes from Middle English skaine, skayne (“quantity of string, thread, etc., wound on a reel; the string, thread, etc., so wound”), from Old French escaigne (modern French écagne, écaigne in Picardy); beyond that the origin is uncertain, though it is probably from Proto-Celtic, from Proto-Indo-European *skend- (“to split off”). The verb comes from the noun. It is cognate with Irish scáinne (“skein, clew”).
Rhymes for skein
See all rhymes for skein →Frequently asked questions
What is the meaning of skein?
"skein" (noun) means a loosely wound coil of thread or yarn, gathered together after being taken off a reel.
What are the different meanings of skein?
"skein" has 3 main meanings: 1. A loosely wound coil of thread or yarn, gathered together after being taken off a reel; 2. Something shaped like a loosely wound coil of thread or yarn; 3. The thin covering surrounding the eggs inside a fish.
