skew
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /skjuː/
ipa: /skju/
rhymes: -uː
homophone: SKU
Forms: form: skews
form: skewing
form: skewed
form: skewed
Etymology: The verb is derived from Middle English skeuen, skewe, skewen (“to run at an angle or obliquely; to escape”), from Old Northern French escuer [and other forms], variants of Old French eschuer, eschever, eschiver (“to escape, flee; to avoid”) (modern French esquiver (“to dodge (a blow), duck; to elude, evade; to slip away; to sidestep”)), from Frankish *skiuhan (“to dread; to avoid, shun”), from Proto-Germanic *skiuhijaną (“to frighten”). The English word is cognate with Catalan esquiu (“evasive, shy”), Danish skæv (“crooked, slanting; skew, wry”) (> Norwegian Bokmål skjev), Dutch scheef (“crooked, slanting”), Norwegian skeiv (“crooked, lopsided; oblique, slanting; distorted”), Saterland Frisian skeeuw (“aslant, slanting; oblique; awry”), and is a doublet of eschew.
The adjective and adverb are probably derived from the verb and/or from askew, and the noun is derived from either the adjective or the verb.
Senses: examples: text: When making this joint it is important to see that the eccentric or crank is at dead-centre; if it is at the end or limit of its stroke, the rubber is skewed the full length of same; if it is at the centre, the skewing, which is the cause of wear, is halved.
ref: 1937, W. C. Warrell, “Machine Clothing”, in The Paper-maker and British Paper Trade Journal, volume XCIV, annual number, London: [s.n.], →ISSN, →OCLC, page 6:
text: Thus asynchronous torques cannot be avoided but can be reduced by proper choice of coil span and by skewing the stator or rotor slots.
ref: 2009, Uday A. Bakshi, Mayuresh V. Bakshi, “Three Phase Induction Motors”, in Electrical Machines, Pune, Maharashtra: Technical Publications Pune, →ISBN, page 6-70:
text: Skewing an object, as we mention at the start of this section, involves distorting the angles of the object. For example, you can create a parallelogram by skewing a square, or you can create shadow effects with skewed text (which we show you later in this chapter).
ref: 2010, Philip Beadle, Mahesh Krishnan, “Enhancing the User Interface”, in Microsoft Silverlight 4 for Dummies (For Dummies), Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN:
text: The easiest way to skew objects is to use the Free Transform tool. [...] Use the left box to skew horizontally. To skew clockwise, click the current value and then either type a value between 1 and 89 or drag up. To skew counterclockwise, click the current value and then either type a value between −1 and −89 or drag down. Then press Enter or Return.
ref: 2010, Ellen Finkelstein, Gurdy Leete, Mary Leete, “You are the Object Editor”, in Flash Professional CS5 & Flash Catalyst CS5, Hoboken, M.J.: Wiley Publishing, →ISBN, part II (1,000 Pictures and 1,000 Words), page 124:
antonyms: unskew
glosses: To form or shape in an oblique way; to cause to take an oblique position.
examples: text: We have looked at the obese and anorexic communities, whose conditions fall on a curve skewed towards overweight for determining the social norm of body weight and who face a golden-mean social ideal of body weight.
ref: 2006, Andrew Stark, “Between the Normal and the Ideal”, in The Limits of Medicine: Cure or Enhancement, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: Cambridge University Press, →ISBN, page 75:
topics: mathematics
sciences
statistics
antonyms: unskew
glosses: To form or shape in an oblique way; to cause to take an oblique position.
To cause (a distribution) to be asymmetrical.
examples: text: A disproportionate number of female subjects in the study group skewed the results.
text: Accordingly, public policy can be skewed towards certain interest groups which have the best organization and most resources; it can be skewed towards certain politically powerful state agencies; and it can be skewed by intense rivalries between different sectors of government itself.
ref: 2006, David Held, “Pluralism, Corporate Capitalism and the State”, in Models of Democracy, 3rd edition, Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press, →ISBN, page 165:
text: because of parliamentary rules written by the military after the 2014 coup that are skewed in its favour.
ref: 2023 May 14, Panarat Thepgumpanat, Panu Wongcha-um, “Thailand's opposition opens up big election lead as army parties slide”, in Reuters:
text: Trump urged his followers to “boycott baseball” – though, much like his core support, the sport’s fanbase skews older, male and white.
ref: 2023 June 12, Tom Dart, “US culture wars come to baseball as MLB celebrates Pride month”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
glosses: To bias or distort in a particular direction.
synonyms: word: bung
word: cast
word: chuck
word: chunk
word: cook
word: dash
word: dump
word: feck
word: fling
word: jerk
word: heave
word: hield
word: hoy
word: huck
word: hurl
word: hurtle
word: launch
word: lob
word: peck
word: peg
word: pick
word: pitch
word: precipitate
word: project
word: quoit
word: shy
word: slight
word: skew
word: sling
word: thrill
word: throw
word: toss
word: traject
word: warp
word: whang
word: whip
word: whop
word: wing
glosses: To hurl or throw.
examples: text: Child, (ſays the Mother) You muſt Uſe your ſelf to Walk Streight, without Skewing, and Shailing ſo Every Step you ſet: Pray Mother (ſays the Young Crab) do but ſet the Example your ſelf, and I'll follow ye.
ref: 1692, Roger L’Estrange, “[The Fables of Anianus, &c.] Fab[le] CCXXI. An Old Crab and a Young.”, in Fables, of Æsop and Other Eminent Mythologists: […], London: […] R[ichard] Sare, […], →OCLC, page 193:
text: [T]he plaintiff's surveyor says, his line struck the house ten inches in the rear and fifteen inches in the front; and farther that the "house is a little skewing and is not set exactly square."
ref: 1829 February, Charles Ewing, Chief Justice; William Halsted, Jr. (reporter), “JOHN DEN ex dem. WILLIAM BROWER against JOHN EMERSON”, in Reports of Cases Argued and Determined in the Supreme Court of Judicature of the State of New-Jersey, volume V, Trenton, N.J.: Printed by Joseph Justice, →OCLC, page 283:
text: The upper sign corresponds to the case represented in the figure in which the arch skews to the right, and the lower one to the case in which it skews to the left.
ref: 1859 May, William G. Peck, “Equation of the Coursing Joint Curve”, in J[ohn] D[aniel] Runkle, editor, The Mathematical Monthly, volume I, number VIII, Cambridge, Mass.: John Bartlett; London: Trübner & Co., →OCLC, page 281:
glosses: To move obliquely; to move sideways, to sidle; to lie obliquely.
examples: text: The horses capered. One tore its reins from her hands, burning a trail across her palms. She clung to the other as it pulled against the restraint. Frantically, Brienne moved to its side, pitching the reins over the beast's head, and jammed her foot into the stirrup. The horse skewed, drawing her along on one foot.
ref: 1991, Kathleen Kirkwood [pseudonym; Anita Gordon], chapter 21, in The Valiant Heart, New York, N.Y.: Jove Books, →ISBN; revised edition, [s.l.]: Anita Gordon, 2013, →ISBN:
glosses: To jump back or sideways in fear or surprise; to shy, as a horse.
examples: text: [C]an this durt draw us / To ſuch a ſtupid tameneſſe, that our ſervice / Neglected, and look'd lamely on, and skewd at / With a few honourable words, and this, is righted?
ref: c. 1616–1619 (first performance), John Fletcher, “The Loyal Subiect”, in Comedies and Tragedies […], London: […] Humphrey Robinson, […], and for Humphrey Moseley […], published 1647, →OCLC, Act II, scene i, page 31, column 1:
text: The cows stood round her in a wondering way, / And kept the stranger with her fears at bay; / They tost their heads and snuff'd the morning gales, / Skewing at her: [...]
ref: 1827, John Clare, “The Memory of Love; a Tale”, in The Shepherd’s Calendar; […], London: […] [F]or John Taylor, […], by James Duncan, […], →OCLC, page 173:
glosses: To look at obliquely; to squint; hence, to look slightingly or suspiciously.
Derived terms: word: nonskewed
word: skewed
english: that which skews something
translation: that which skews something
word: skewer
word: skewing
word: skewy
word: unskew
word: unskewed