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Middle English
- Etymology [edit] From Middle English skinny (“resembling skin”), equivalent to skin + -y. The meaning associated with lack of fat or muscle possibly derives from the phrase skin and bones; the meaning associated with nudity refers to the exposed skin.
en.wiktionary.org/wiki/skinny
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The earliest known use of the word skinny is in the Middle English period (1150—1500). OED's earliest evidence for skinny is from around 1400, in Book to Mother.
Dec 4, 2022 · The near-universal European word now, it appeared in device c. 1300, devis, "intent, desire; an expressed intent or desire; a plan or design; a literary composition," from Old French devis "division, separation; disposition, wish, desire; coat of arms, emblem; a bequest in a will, act of bequeathing," from deviser "arrange, plan, contrive
As to what the unsung inventor, whenever or whoever he was, had in mind, there’s little consensus. The most plausible suggestion comes from Robert Chapman in his Dictionary of American Slang in 1997: that it includes the normal meaning of skin but implying “the naked truth”.
Jan 23, 2011 · The word “skinny,” by the way, didn’t refer to a scrawny person or animal when it entered English as an adjective around 1400. The earliest citations in the OED use “skinny” to mean covered with skin, affecting the skin, looking like skin, and perhaps even having beautiful skin.
Sep 20, 2023 · The word “skinny” has multiple meanings and uses. In the context of the slang definition, it means “gossip or information.” This usage can be traced back to at least the 1930s, as seen in examples from the US Naval Academy yearbook and a 1938 autobiography.
Nov 6, 2002 · Ultimately, "the skinny" seems to be one of those slang phrases without a catchy story to explain its origin. Most likely, it was a takeoff on the idea of "getting down to the skin" of a story, beneath the flourishes and frippery.
Someone who's skinny is thin. Your brother might be skinny enough to fit in the jeans he wore three years ago. A skinny person is slight or lean, and your skinny jeans are tight-fitting. You might order a skinny coffee drink at a cafe, meaning you'd like it to be made with skim milk.
