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Webster 1913 Edition

Skill

Skill

,
Noun.
[Icel.
skil
a distinction, discernment; akin to
skilja
to separate, divide, distinguish, Sw.
skilja
,.
skille
to separate,
skiel
reason, right, justice, Sw.
skäl
reason, Lith.
skelli
to cleave. Cf.
Shell
,
Shoal
, a multitude.]
1.
Discrimination; judgment; propriety; reason; cause.
[Obs.]
Shak.
“As it was skill and right.”
Chaucer.
For great
skill
is, he prove that he wrought.
Chaucer.
[For with good reason he should test what he created.]
2.
Knowledge; understanding.
[Obsoles.]
That by his fellowship he color might
Both his estate and love from
skill
of any wight.
Spenser.
Nor want we
skill
or art.
Milton.
3.
The familiar knowledge of any art or science, united with readiness and dexterity in execution or performance, or in the application of the art or science to practical purposes; power to discern and execute; ability to perceive and perform; expertness; aptitude;
as, the
skill
of a mathematician, physician, surgeon, mechanic, etc.
Phocion, . . . by his great wisdom and
skill
at negotiations, diverted Alexander from the conquest of Athens.
Swift.
Where patience her sweet
skill
imparts.
Keble.
4.
Display of art; exercise of ability; contrivance; address.
[Obs.]
Richard . . . by a thousand princely
skills
, gathering so much corn as if he meant not to return.
Fuller.
5.
Any particular art.
[Obs.]
Learned in one
skill
, and in another kind of learning unskillful.
Hooker.
Syn. – Dexterity; adroitness; expertness; art; aptitude; ability.
–
Skill
,
Dexterity
,
Adroitness
. Skill is more intelligent, denoting familiar knowledge united to readiness of performance. Dexterity, when applied to the body, is more mechanical, and refers to habitual ease of execution. Adroitness involves the same image with dexterity, and differs from it as implaying a general facility of movement (especially in avoidance of danger or in escaping from a difficalty). The same distinctions apply to the figurative sense of the words. A man is skillful in any employment when he understands both its theory and its practice. He is dexterous when he maneuvers with great lightness. He is adroit in the use od quick, sudden, and well-directed movements of the body or the mind, so as to effect the object he has in view.

Skill

,
Verb.
T.
To know; to understand.
[Obs.]
To
skill
the arts of expressing our mind.
Barrow.

Skill

,
Verb.
I.
1.
To be knowing; to have understanding; to be dexterous in performance.
[Obs.]
I can not
skill
of these thy ways.
Herbert.
2.
To make a difference; to signify; to matter; – used impersonally.
Spenser.
What
skills
it, if a bag of stones or gold
About thy neck do drown thee?
Herbert.
It
skills
not talking of it.
Sir W. Scott.

Webster 1828 Edition

Skill

SKILL

,
Noun.
Calleo, that is to strain, stretch, reach, and with to perfect, that is, to make sound, or to reach the utmost limit. The sense of folly, error, sin, preverseness, is from wandering, deviation.
1.
The familiar knowledge of any art or science, united with readiness and dexterity in execution or performance, or in the application of the art or science to practical purposes. Thus we speak of the skill of a mathematician, of a surveyor, of a physician or surgeon, of a mechanic or seaman. So we speak of skill in management or negotiation.
2.
Any particular art.

Definition 2024

skill

skill

English

Verb

skill ‎(third-person singular simple present skills, present participle skilling, simple past and past participle skilled)

  1. (transitive) To set apart; separate.
  2. (transitive, chiefly dialectal) To discern; have knowledge or understanding; to know how (to).
    • 1633, George Herbert, “Justice,” in The Temple,
      I cannot skill of these Thy ways […]
  3. (transitive) To know; to understand.
    • 17th century, Isaac Barrow, “On Industry in Our Particular Calling as Scholars,”
      […] to skill the arts of expressing our mind and imparting our conceptions with advantage, so as to instruct or persuade others […]
  4. (intransitive) To have knowledge or comprehension; discern.
  5. (intransitive) To have personal or practical knowledge; be versed or practised; be expert or dextrous.
  6. (intransitive, archaic) To make a difference; signify; matter.
    • 1592, Richard Turnbull, An Exposition upon the Canonicall Epistle of Saint Jude, London: John Windet, Sermon 5, p. 67,
      So then the whole scripture of God, being true, whence soever this be delivered and gathered, it skilleth not […]
    • c. 1599, William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night, Act V, Scene 1,
      […] I should have given’t you to-day morning, but as a madman’s epistles are no gospels, so it skills not much when they are delivered.
    • 1633, George Herbert, “The Church Porch,” in The Temple,
      What skills it, if a bag of stones or gold
      About thy neck do drown thee?
    • 1820, Walter Scott, Ivanhoe, Chapter 42,
      But it skills not talking of it.
Synonyms
  • (separate): split (call management systems)

Etymology 2

From Middle English skill, skille (also schil, schile), from Old English *scile and Old Norse skil ‎(“a distinction, discernment, knowledge”), from Proto-Germanic *skilją ‎(“separation, limit”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kalǝ-, *(s)kelǝ- ‎(“to split, cut”). Cognate with Danish skel ‎(“a separation, boundary, divide”), Swedish skäl ‎(“reason”), Dutch verschil ‎(“difference”) and schillen ‎(“to sperate the outer layer (schil) from the product”, verb).

Noun

skill ‎(countable and uncountable, plural skills)

  1. Capacity to do something well; technique, ability. Skills are usually acquired or learned, as opposed to abilities, which are often thought of as innate.
  2. (obsolete) Discrimination; judgment; propriety; reason; cause.
    • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, Book II, Hackett, 2006, Canto I, Stanza 54, lines 1-5, p. 21,
      Him so I sought, and so at last I fownd
      Where him that witch had thralled to her will,
      In chaines of lust and lewde desyres ybownd
      And so transformed from his former skill,
      That me he knew not, nether his owne ill;
    • c. 1605, William Shakespeare, King Lear, Act IV, Scene 7,
      Methinks I should know you, and know this man;
      Yet I am doubtful; for I am mainly ignorant
      What place this is; and all the skill I have
      Remembers not these garments; nor I know not
      Where I did lodge last night. […]
  3. (obsolete) Knowledge; understanding.
    • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, Book III, Hackett, 2006, Canto III, Stanza 45, lines 4-5, p. 62,
      And Howell Dha shall goodly well indew
      The salvage minds with skill of just and trew;
    • 1674, John Milton, Paradise Lost, Book II,
      […] This desert soil
      Wants not her hidden lustre, gems and gold;
      Nor want we skill or art from whence to raise
      Magnificence […]
  4. (obsolete) Display of art; exercise of ability; contrivance; address.
    • 1639, Thomas Fuller, The Historie of the Holy Warre, Book III, Chapter VI,,
      Richard was well stored with men, the bones, and quickly got money, the sinews of warre; by a thousand princely skills gathering so much coin as if he meant not to return, because looking back would unbowe his resolution.
Synonyms
Derived terms
  • softskill
Related terms
Translations

Adjective

skill ‎(comparative skiller, superlative skillest)

  1. (Britain, slang) great, excellent.
    • 1987, Teresa Maughan, Letters (in Your Sinclair issue 18, June 1987)
      Well, unfortunately for you, my dearest Waggipoos, I'm much more skill than you!
    • 1991, Wreckers (video game review in Crash issue 88, May 1991)
      This game is skill. Remember that because it's going to sound really complicated.
    • 1999, "Andy Smith", I am well skill (on Internet newsgroup alt.digitiser)
      And I am skiller than you.

Anagrams

References

Norwegian Bokmål

Verb

skill

  1. imperative of skille

Etymology

From Middle English skilen (also schillen), partly from Old English scylian, scielian ‎(“to separate, part, divide off”); and partly from Old Norse skilja ‎(“to divide, separate”); both from Proto-Germanic *skilōną, *skiljaną ‎(“to divide, limit”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kalǝ-, *(s)kelǝ- ‎(“to split, cut”). Cognate with Danish skille ‎(“to separate, discard”), Swedish skilja ‎(“to distinguish, differentiate, part”), Icelandic skilja ‎(“to understand”), Low German schelen ‎(“to make a difference; to be squint-eyed”), Dutch schelen ‎(“to make a difference”).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /skɪl/
  • Rhymes: -ɪl

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