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- Dictionaryskelf/skɛlf/
noun
- 1. a splinter or sliver of wood.
- 2. a troublesome or annoying person. informal
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Skelf definition: a splinter of wood, esp when embedded accidentally in the skin. See examples of SKELF used in a sentence.
noun. " Scottish. : sliver, splinter. Word History. Etymology. Noun. perhaps from Scottish Gaelic sgealb. Love words? You must — there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that’s only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.
Sep 19, 2017 · Skelf. SKELF noun a splinter. The Scots have many different words for splinters. The Dictionary of the Scots Language records many, and a number of them begin with ‘s’ as in: spail, sheave, sclinder, skink and skelb, plus many more. There are, however, exceptions such as: cootle and flog.
Define skelf. skelf synonyms, skelf pronunciation, skelf translation, English dictionary definition of skelf. n 1. a splinter of wood, esp when embedded accidentally in the skin 2. a thin or diminutive person Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged,...
2 meanings: Scottish and Northern England dialect 1. a splinter of wood, esp when embedded accidentally in the skin 2. a thin.... Click for more definitions.
A sliver or splinter, usually of wood, esp. one lodged in…. 2. A small or slight person; one who is a nuisance. colloquial. Scottish. 1. c1610–. A sliver or splinter, usually of wood, esp. one lodged in the skin. c1610. They wer hurt..with skelves of stanes be the force of our battery.
Jan 21, 2024 · skelf (plural skelfs) A splinter or sliver of wood. A thin or diminutive person. 1992, Iain Banks, The Crow Road: 'Like I say; I could have got the baby-sitter to help me with him, but she's just a skelf...not our regular girl.'.
There is one meaning in OED's entry for the noun skelf. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definition, usage, and quotation evidence. This word is used in northern English regional dialect and Scottish English.
Jan 29, 2019 · 1. A splinter. 2. A tiny amount of something. 3. A thin or slight person. 4. An annoying or troublesome person. ETYMOLOGY: Probably from Middle Low German or obsolete Dutch schelf (flake, splinter, or scale). Earliest documented use: 1610. USAGE: “Trying to get the garden in order, I got a skelf in my finger.”
Oct 25, 2006 · skelf n. a thin fragment, a flake; a splinter, a sharp fragment of wood, etc. Skelf (not to be confused with skelf, a shelf) has been recorded in Scots sources since the early seventeenth century and was probably borrowed from Dutch schelf, a flake or splinter of wood.
