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Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

skelly en · NOUN · etymology 1

Pronunciation

  • /ˈskɛli/

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”).

Meanings

  1. (Scotland, archaic) A squint.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
skellies Number=Plur lexicographic

skelly en · VERB · etymology 1

Pronunciation

  • /ˈskɛli/

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”).

Meanings

  1. (Scotland) To squint.
    • "It is he—it is the very man," said Bothwell, "skellies fearfully with one eye?" 1816, Jedadiah Cleishbotham [pseudonym; Walter Scott], chapter IV, in Tales of My Landlord, […], volume II (Old Mortality), Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne and Co.] for William Blackwood, […]; London: John Murray, […], →OCLC, page 87:
  2. (Scotland) To look at

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
skellied Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
skellied Tense=Past lexicographic
skellies Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic
skellying Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic

skelly en · NOUN · etymology 2

Pronunciation

  • /ˈskɛli/

Etymology

From a clipping of skeleton + -y (diminutive suffix).

Meanings

  1. (slang) A skeleton, especially a human one.
    • We went spelunking in some caves and got quite the scare when we found some skellies in there.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
skellies Number=Plur lexicographic

skelly en · NOUN · etymology 3

Pronunciation

  • /ˈskɛli/

Etymology

Variant of skully.

Meanings

  1. (alt-of, alternative, uncountable) Alternative form of skully (“street game of flicking caps”).
    alt of skully