English Explanatory Dictionary

skelly

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A squint.
verb
  1. To squint.
  2. To look at
noun
  1. A skeleton, especially a human one.
noun
  1. Alternative form of skully (“street game of flicking caps”).
name
  1. A surname from Irish.

Pronunciation

/ˈskɛli/

Word forms

skelly skellies skellying skellied Skellys

Etymology

Probably of North Germanic origin, from Old Norse *skjelga ("to squint"; found only in the reflexive skjelgask (“to come askew; squint the eyes”)), from Proto-Germanic *skilgijaną (“to squint”), from Proto-Germanic *skelhaz, *skelhwaz, *skelgaz (“slanted; sloping; squinting”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kel- (“to bend; crook”). Compare Danish skele (“to squint”), Swedish skela (“to squint”), Scots skellie, scalie, skellice (“to squint; look to the side”), German schielen (“to squint”).

Derived words

Skellytown
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