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skin definition

skin (skin)

noun

  1. the outer covering or integument of the animal body
  2. such a covering, esp. that of a small animal, when removed from the body and prepared for use; pelt
  3. something like skin in appearance or function; any outer layer, as fruit rind, the shell or plating of a ship, a film or scum, the outermost nacreous layer in a pearl, etc.
  4. a container made of animal skin, used for holding liquids
  5. Slang a set of drums, esp. in a jazz band
  6. Slang a dollar

Etymology: ME skinn < ON, akin to Ger schinden, to flay, peel < IE *(s)ken(d)-, to split off (< base *sek-, to cut: see saw) > OIr ceinn, a scale, scurf

transitive verb skinned, skinning skin′·ning

  1. to cover with or as with skin; grow skin on
  2. to remove skin from
  3. to strip or peel off, as or like skin
  4. to injure by scraping or abrading (one's knee, elbow, etc.)
  5. Informal
    1. to defraud or cheat; swindle
    2. ☆ to criticize or scold severely
  6. Informal to drive or urge on (a mule, ox, etc.)

intransitive verb

  1. to become covered with skin
  2. Informal to climb (up or down)
  3. to move (through), pass (by), succeed, etc. by a very narrow margin

adjective

Slang depicting or involving nudity and, sometimes, explicit sexual activity skin magazine
skin Idioms

be no skin off one's nose

or be no skin off one's back
Informal to affect one not at all; be of no direct concern to one

by the skin of one's teeth

by the smallest possible margin; barely

get under someone's skin

Informal to anger or irritate someone

have a thick skin

or have a thin skin
to be insensitive (or acutely sensitive) to blame, criticism, insults, etc.

save one's skin

Informal to avoid harm or injury; esp., to escape death

skin alive

Informal
  1. ☆ to scold or punish severely
  2. to defeat decisively

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:
skin Synonyms

skin

n.

skin is the general term for the outer covering of the animal body and for the covering, especially if thin and tight, of certain fruits and vegetables human skin, the skin of a peach; hide is used of the tough skins of certain large animals, as of a horse, cow, elephant, etc.; pelt refers to the skin, esp. the untanned skin, of a fur-bearing animal, as of a mink, fox, sheep, etc.; rind applies to the thick, tough covering of certain fruits, as of a watermelon, or of cheeses, bacon, etc.; peel is used of the skin or rind of fruit that has been removed, as by stripping potato peel, lemon peel; bark applies to the hard covering of trees and woody plants

be no skin off one's back<strong> or </strong>nose*

not hurt one, do no harm, not affect one; see prosper, survive 1.

by the skin of one's teeth*

(just) barely, scarcely, narrowly; see hardly.

get under one's skin*
have a thick skin*

be indifferent, not care, shrug off; see endure 1, 2.

have a thin skin*

be sensitive or timid or readily hurt, etc., wince., cringe; see suffer 1.

save one's skin*

get away or out, evade, leave (just) in time; see escape, leave 1, survive 1.

with a whole skin*

skin

v.

peel, pare, flay, scalp, slough, cast, shed, excoriate, decorticate, exuviate, strip, strip off, pull off, remove the surface from, skin alive, husk, shuck, bark, lay bare, bare.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

skin Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • irritate: Using too much soap powder will leave a residue in the diapers that can irritate the skin.

Adjective modifier

  • itchy: It contains chickweed, a herb that has been used for centuries to heal cuts and wounds and soothe itchy, irritated skin.

Modifies a noun

  • rash: Occasionally, skin rash with or without irritation or difficulty in passing urine may occur.

Noun used with modifier

  • banana: The nutrients in the banana skin are supposed to make the cabbages grow quickly.
skin usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

skin quotes

There was a faith-healer of Deal Who said,'Although pain isn't real, If I sit on a pin 22 And it punctures my skin, I dislike what I fancy I feel.'

-Anonymous

I learned in New Jersey that to be a Negro meant, precisely, that one was never looked at but was simplyat themercyofthereflexesthecolorofone'sskincaused in other people.

-Baldwin,James Arthur

Le langage est une peau: je frotte mon langage contre l'autre. Language is a skin; I rub my language against another language.

-Barthes, Roland

skin quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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"skin." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/skin>

APA Style

skin. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/skin

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