skill

• IPA^(key): /skɪl/

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• Rhymes: -ɪl

From Middle English skill, skille (also schil, schile), from Old English *scile and Old Norse skil (“a distinction, discernment, knowledge”), from Proto-Germanic *skilją (“separation, limit”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelH- (“to split, cut”). Cognate with Danish skel (“a separation, boundary, divide”), Swedish skäl (“reason”), Dutch verschil (“difference”) and schillen (“to sperate the outer layer (schil) from the product”, verb).

skill (countable and uncountable, plural skills)

1. Capacity to do something well; technique, ability. Skills are usually acquired or learned, as opposed to abilities, which are often thought of as innate.
   • c. 1600, William Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Act II, Scene 1,

     I have heard the Frenchman hath good skill in his rapier.

   • 1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter II, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […], OCLC 752825175, page 071:

     Orion hit a rabbit once; but though sore wounded it got to the bury, and, struggling in, the arrow caught the side of the hole and was drawn out. Indeed, a nail filed sharp is not of much avail as an arrowhead; you must have it barbed, and that was a little beyond our skill.

   • 2013 December 6, Simon Hoggart, “Araucaria's last puzzle: crossword master dies”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 26, page 43:

     The skill was not in creating a grid full of words, but in producing clues cryptic enough to baffle the puzzler, yet constructed so honestly that they could be solved by any intelligent person who knew the conventions.

2. (obsolete) Discrimination; judgment; propriety; reason; cause.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, Book II, Hackett, 2006, Canto I, Stanza 54, lines 1-5, p. 21,

     Him so I sought, and so at last I fownd

     Where him that witch had thralled to her will,

     In chaines of lust and lewde desyres ybownd

     And so transformed from his former skill,

     That me he knew not, nether his owne ill;

   • c. 1605, William Shakespeare, King Lear, Act IV, Scene 7,

     Methinks I should know you, and know this man;

     Yet I am doubtful; for I am mainly ignorant

     What place this is; and all the skill I have

     Remembers not these garments; nor I know not

     Where I did lodge last night. […]

3. (obsolete) Knowledge; understanding.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, Book III, Hackett, 2006, Canto III, Stanza 45, lines 4-5, p. 62,

     And Howell Dha shall goodly well indew

     The salvage minds with skill of just and trew;

   • 1674, John Milton, Paradise Lost, Book II,

     […] This desert soil

     Wants not her hidden lustre, gems and gold;

     Nor want we skill or art from whence to raise

     Magnificence […]

4. (obsolete) Display of art; exercise of ability; contrivance; address.
   • 1639, Thomas Fuller, The Historie of the Holy Warre, Book III, Chapter VI,^,

     Richard was well stored with men, the bones, and quickly got money, the sinews of warre; by a thousand princely skills gathering so much coin as if he meant not to return, because looking back would unbowe his resolution.

• ability
• talent
• See also Thesaurus:skill

• soft skill

skill (comparative skiller, superlative skillest)

1. (Britain, slang, 1980s-1990s) great, excellent.
   • 1987, Teresa Maughan, Letters (in Your Sinclair issue 18, June 1987)

     Well, unfortunately for you, my dearest Waggipoos, I'm much more skill than you!

   • 1991, Wreckers (video game review in Crash issue 88, May 1991)

     This game is skill. Remember that because it's going to sound really complicated.

   • 1999, "Andy Smith", I am well skill (on Internet newsgroup alt.digitiser)

     And I am skiller than you.

From Middle English skilen (also schillen), partly from Old English scylian, scielian (“to separate, part, divide off”); and partly from Old Norse skilja (“to divide, separate”); both from Proto-Germanic *skilōną, *skiljaną (“to divide, limit”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelH- (“to split, cut”). Cognate with Danish skille (“to separate, discard”), Swedish skilja (“to distinguish, differentiate, part”), Icelandic skilja (“to understand”), Low German schelen (“to make a difference; to be squint-eyed”), Dutch schelen (“to make a difference”).

skill (third-person singular simple present skills, present participle skilling, simple past and past participle skilled)

1. (transitive) To set apart; separate.
2. (transitive, chiefly dialectal) To discern; have knowledge or understanding; to know how (to).
   • 1633, George Herbert, “Justice,” in The Temple,

     I cannot skill of these Thy ways […]

3. (transitive, dialectal, Scotland, Northern England, rare) To know; to understand.
   • Breadalbane Letters and Documents (1613)

     As for the virginals I have none here that skill of them, except the young lord.

   • 17th century, Isaac Barrow, “On Industry in Our Particular Calling as Scholars,”

     […] to skill the arts of expressing our mind and imparting our conceptions with advantage, so as to instruct or persuade others […]

4. (intransitive) To have knowledge or comprehension; discern.
5. (intransitive) To have personal or practical knowledge; be versed or practised; be expert or dextrous.
6. (intransitive, archaic) To make a difference; signify; matter.
   • 1592, Richard Turnbull, An Exposition upon the Canonicall Epistle of Saint Jude, London: John Windet, Sermon 5, p. 67,

     So then the whole scripture of God, being true, whence soever this be delivered and gathered, it skilleth not […]

   • c. 1599, William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night, Act V, Scene 1,

     […] I should have given’t you to-day morning, but as a madman’s epistles are no gospels, so it skills not much when they are delivered.

   • 1633, George Herbert, “The Church Porch,” in The Temple,

     What skills it, if a bag of stones or gold

     About thy neck do drown thee?

   • 1820, Walter Scott, Ivanhoe, Chapter 42,

     But it skills not talking of it.

7. (video games) To spend acquired points in exchange for skills.

• (separate): split (call management systems)

• Skel i “skill” in Ordbog over det danske Sprog

• Kills, kills

skill

1. imperative of skille