skunk
See also: Skunk
English
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
From an unattested Southern New England Algonquian word, cognate with (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Abenaki segôgw, segonku (“he who squirts (musk) / urinates”), from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Proto-Algonquian *šeka·kwa, from *šek- (“to urinate”).
Noun
skunk (plural skunks)
- Any of various small mammals, of the family Mephitidae, native to North and Central America, having a glossy black with a white coat and two musk glands at the base of the tail for emitting a noxious smell as a defensive measure.
- 1634, William Wood, New Englands Prospect:
- The beaſts of offence be Squunckes, Ferrets, Foxes, whoſe impudence ſometimes drives them to the good wives Hen rooſt […].
- 1634, William Wood, New Englands Prospect:
- (slang) A despicable person.
- (slang) A walkover victory in sports or board games, as when the opposing side is unable to score. Compare shutout.
- (cribbage) A win by 30 or more points.
Derived terms
Descendants
- → Czech: skunk
- → Danish: skunk
- → Finnish: skunkki
- → Icelandic: skunkur
- → Japanese: スカンク (sukanku)
- → Norwegian: skunk
- → Polish: skunks
- → Russian: скунс (skuns)
- → Slovak: skunk
- → Swedish: skunk
Translations
animal
|
despicable person
skunkweed — see marijuana
walkover victory
|
Verb
skunk (third-person singular simple present skunks, present participle skunking, simple past and past participle skunked)
- To defeat so badly as to prevent any opposing points.
- I skunked him at cards.
- We fished all day but the lake skunked us.
- (cribbage) To win by 30 or more points.
- (intransitive, of beer) To go bad, to spoil.
See also
Etymology 2
Blend of skinhead + punk, influenced by the animal (Etymology 1).
Noun
skunk (plural skunks)
- A member of a hybrid skinhead and punk subculture.
- 2006, Pam Nilan, Carles Feixa, Global Youth?: Hybrid Identities, Plural Worlds (page 192)
- In the early 1980s, certain ex-punks joined them, becoming 'skunks' – a hybrid subculture of skinheads and punks.
- 2011, Gerard DeGroot (quoting Brown), Seventies Unplugged
- […] mods, skins, suedes, smoothies, punks, skunks, rude boys, soul boys and headbangers […]
- 2006, Pam Nilan, Carles Feixa, Global Youth?: Hybrid Identities, Plural Worlds (page 192)
Etymology 3
From skunkweed (“certain highly aromatic marijuana”)
Noun
skunk (countable and uncountable, plural skunks)
- (slang) Clipping of skunkweed (marijuana).
- Any of the strains of hybrids of Cannabis sativa and Cannabis indica that may have THC levels exceeding those of typical hashish.
Czech
Noun
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- skunk (animal)
Further reading
Dutch
Etymology
Pronunciation
Noun
skunk m (uncountable)
Swedish
Noun
skunk c
- a skunk
Declension
Declension of skunk | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Singular | Plural | |||
Indefinite | Definite | Indefinite | Definite | |
Nominative | skunk | skunken | skunkar | skunkarna |
Genitive | skunks | skunkens | skunkars | skunkarnas |
Categories:
- English 1-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio pronunciation
- Rhymes:English/ʌŋk
- English terms derived from Abenaki
- English terms derived from Proto-Algonquian
- English lemmas
- English nouns
- English countable nouns
- English slang
- en:Cribbage
- English verbs
- English intransitive verbs
- en:Beer
- English blends
- English uncountable nouns
- English clippings
- en:Mephitids
- en:People
- Dutch terms borrowed from English
- Dutch terms derived from English
- Dutch terms with IPA pronunciation
- Dutch terms with audio pronunciation
- Dutch lemmas
- Dutch nouns
- Dutch uncountable nouns
- Dutch masculine nouns
- Swedish lemmas
- Swedish nouns
- Swedish common-gender nouns
- sv:Mephitids