skunk
Part of speech: noun
verb
Morphological type: simple
Etymology: Etymology tree
Proto-Algonquian *šek-
Proto-Algonquian *-a·kw-
Proto-Algonquian *-a
Proto-Algonquian *šeka·kwa
Eastern Algonquianbor.
English skunk
Borrowed from an unattested Southern New England Eastern Algonquian word cognate with Abenaki segôgw (literally “he who squirts (musk) / urinates”), from Proto-Algonquian *šeka·kwa, from *šek- (“to urinate”). Doublet of Chicago.
Inflected forms:
form: skunks
pos: noun
tags: plural
form: scunck
pos: noun
tags: alternative
form: skunks
pos: verb
tags: present
singular
third-person
form: skunking
pos: verb
tags: participle
present
form: skunked
pos: verb
tags: participle
past
form: skunked
pos: verb
tags: past
form: scunck
pos: verb
tags: alternative
Senses:
gloss: Any of various small mammals, of most genera of the family Mephitidae, native to North and Central America, having a glossy black coat with white markings and two musk glands at the base of the tail for emitting a noxious smell as a defensive measure.
pos: noun
tags: US
examples: The beaſts of offence be Squunckes, Ferrets, Foxes, vvhoſe impudence ſometimes drives them to the good vvives Hen rooſt, to fill their Paunch: ſome of theſe be blacke; their furre is of much eſteeme.
gloss: A despicable person.
pos: noun
tags: US
dated
derogatory
slang
examples: In fact, the term he applied to this species of human being was "skunk," and he used it freely.
gloss: Anything very bad; a stinker.
pos: noun
tags: US
dated
derogatory
slang
examples: On the other hand, many critics contend that in terms of literary quality, many of the multiple-storyline books are true skunks.
gloss: A walkover victory in sports or board games, as when the opposing side is unable to score.
pos: noun
tags: US
slang
gloss: A win by thirty or more points. (A double skunk is sixty or more, a triple skunk ninety or more.)
pos: noun
tags: US
gloss: To defeat so badly as to prevent any opposing points.
pos: verb
tags: US
slang
transitive
examples: I skunked him at cards.
We fished all day but the lake skunked us.
gloss: To win by thirty or more points.
pos: verb
tags: US
gloss: To go bad, to spoil.
pos: verb
tags: US
intransitive
Related words: polecat
Derived words: badger skunk
big skunk
deskunk
drunk as a skunk
drunker than a skunk
hog-nosed skunk
hooded skunk
hydrophobia skunk
knock a skunk off a gut wagon
rooter skunk
skunk ape
skunk at a garden party
skunk at the garden party
skunkbag
skunkball
skunkbear
skunk bear (Gulo gulo
skunkbill
skunkbird
skunk blackbird
skunkbush
skunk cabbage)
skunk currant
skunk dolphin
skunked term
skunkery
skunk grass
skunkhead
skunkie
skunkish
skunkless
skunklet
skunklike
skunk pig
skunk porpoise
skunk pox
skunk spruce
skunk tail
skunk tree
skunk turtle
skunk up
skunkweed
skunk-weed
skunk works
skunkworks
skunky
spotted skunk
stink a skunk off a gut wagon
striped skunk
Translations:
lang: Abenaki
word: segôgw
lang: Albanian
word: qelbës
lang: Algonquin
word: cigàg
lang: Plains Apache
word: dookats’į́łtshesá
lang: Western Apache
word: golízhi
lang: Arabic
word: ظَرِبَان
roman: ẓaribān
lang: Arabic
word: ظِرْبان
roman: ḍirbān
lang: Arapaho
word: xoo
lang: Arapaho
word: xou
lang: Arikara
word: niWIt
lang: Armenian
word: սկունս
roman: skuns
lang: Armenian
word: ժանտաքիս
roman: žantakʻis
lang: Atakapa
word: šikitiš
lang: Aymara
word: añuthaya
lang: Azerbaijani
word: skuns
lang: Azerbaijani
word: iyverən porsuq
lang: Azerbaijani
word: qoxarca
lang: Basque
word: mofeta
lang: Belarusian
word: скунс
roman: skuns
lang: Breton
word: skoñs
lang: Bulgarian
word: скункс
roman: skunks
lang: Carrier
word: hoonliz
lang: Catalan
word: mofeta
lang: Cebuano
word: milô
lang: Cherokee
word: ᏗᎵ
roman: dili
lang: Cherokee
word: ᏗᎳ
roman: dila
lang: Cheyenne
word: xāō'o
lang: Chickasaw
word: koni
lang: Chinese Cantonese
word: 臭鼬
roman: cau³ jau⁶
lang: Chinese Mandarin
word: 臭鼬
roman: chòuyòu
lang: Chitimacha
word: kištˀeˀe
lang: Choctaw
word: konih
lang: Comanche
word: pohniʔatsi̱
lang: Cree
word: ᓯᑳᐠ
roman: sikaak
lang: Creek
word: kono
lang: Czech
word: skunk
lang: Danish
word: skunk
lang: Danish
word: stinkdyr
lang: Dogrib
word: nǫtsı̨
lang: Dutch
word: stinkdier
lang: Erzya
word: чинебача
roman: činebača
lang: Esperanto
word: mefito
lang: Estonian
word: skunk
lang: Estonian
word: vinukloom
lang: Faroese
word: stinkdýr
lang: Finnish
word: haisunäätä
lang: Finnish
word: skunkki
lang: Fox
word: shekâkwa
lang: French
word: mouffette
lang: French
word: sconse
lang: French
word: putois
lang: Galician
word: mofeta
lang: Georgian
word: სკუნსი
roman: sḳunsi
lang: Georgian
word: მყრალა
roman: mq̇rala
lang: German
word: Stinktier
lang: German
word: Skunk
lang: Greek
word: μεφίτιδα
roman: mefítida
lang: Greek
word: αγριοκούναβο
roman: agriokoúnavo
lang: Gros Ventre
word: θouu
lang: Hawaiian
word: ponī
lang: Hebrew
word: בּוֹאֵשׁ
roman: boésh
lang: Hindi
word: स्कंक
roman: skaṅk
lang: Hungarian
word: bűzösborz
lang: Icelandic
word: skunkur
lang: Ido
word: mofeto
lang: Indonesian
word: sigung
lang: Ineseño
word: taxama
lang: Interlingua
word: moffetta
lang: Interlingua
word: skunk
lang: Irish
word: scúnc
lang: Italian
word: moffetta
lang: Italian
word: puzzola
lang: Japanese
word: スカンク
roman: sukanku
lang: Kazakh
word: сасықиісті
roman: sasyqiıstı
lang: Kickapoo
word: sekaakwa
lang: Korean
word: 스컹크
roman: seukeongkeu
lang: Kyrgyz
word: сасык кашкулак
roman: sasık kaşkulak
lang: Lakota
word: maká
lang: Lao
word: ພຽງພອນເໝັນ
roman: phīang phǭn men
lang: Lao
word: ແມວຂົ້ວໂລກ
roman: mǣu khūa lōk
lang: Lao
word: ມູເຟັດ
roman: mū fet
lang: Lao
word: ສະກັງ
roman: sa kang
lang: Latvian
word: skunkss
lang: Lithuanian
word: skunkas
lang: Macedonian
word: твор
roman: tvor
lang: Malay
word: skunk
lang: Manx
word: breinnag
lang: Maricopa
word: milxwe
lang: Ayautla Mazatec
word: tjiuxikja
lang: San Jerónimo Tecóatl Mazatec
word: xíkjá
lang: Menominee
word: seka·k
lang: Miami
word: šikaakwa
lang: Mi'kmaq
word: apigjilu
lang: Mi'kmaq
word: apugjilu
lang: Mingrelian
word: სკუნსი
roman: sḳunsi
lang: Mohegan-Pequot
word: skôks
lang: Mongolian
word: өмхий хүрэн
roman: ömxii xüren
lang: Nahuatl
word: epatl
lang: Nahuatl
word: yepatl
lang: Nanticoke
word: laa!waa!quepuss
lang: Natchez
word: šic
lang: Navajo
word: gólízhii
lang: Nawathinehena
word: saoθ
lang: Neapolitan
word: cajorda
lang: Norwegian
word: skunk
lang: Norwegian
word: stinkdyr
lang: Obispeño
word: tqema
lang: Occitan
word: mofeta
lang: Southern Ohlone
word: yaawi
lang: Western Ojibwa
word: sikāk
lang: Ojibwe
word: zhigaag
lang: Old Tupi
word: sarigûeîa
lang: Old Tupi
word: sarigûé
lang: Pashto
word: ژګاګ
roman: žigâg
lang: Pawnee
word: riwit
lang: Persian
word: راسو
lang: Polish
word: skunks
lang: Kashaya
word: nupʰeˑ
lang: Portuguese
word: cangambá
lang: Portuguese
word: gambá
lang: Portuguese
word: doninha-fedorenta
lang: Quapaw
word: mą́ka
lang: Quechua
word: añas
lang: Romanian
word: sconcs
lang: Romansh
word: scunc
lang: Russian
word: скунс
roman: skuns
lang: Russian
word: воню́чка
roman: vonjúčka
lang: Salinan
word: šowá
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: твор
lang: Serbo-Croatian
word: tvor
lang: Seri
word: sliitxcoj
lang: Shona
word: chidembo
lang: Shuswap
word: sts̓ípeq
lang: Slovak
word: skunk
lang: Slovene
word: dihur
lang: Spanish
word: mofeta
lang: Spanish
word: zorro hediondo
lang: Spanish
word: zorrillo
lang: Spanish
word: zorrino
lang: Spanish
word: chingue
lang: Spanish
word: yaguané
lang: Spanish
word: añás
lang: Spanish
word: mapuro
lang: Spanish
word: yaguré
lang: Swahili
word: kinyegere
lang: Swedish
word: skunk
lang: Swedish
word: stinkdjur
lang: Taos
word: kùylulúna
lang: Tatar
word: ала көзән
roman: ala közän
lang: Teribe
word: ga
lang: Thai
word: สกังก์
roman: sà-gáng
lang: Tibetan
word: ཏེ་ལོ
roman: te lo
lang: Turkish
word: kokarca
lang: Ukrainian
word: скунс
roman: skuns
lang: Unami
word: shkakw
lang: Uyghur
word: سېسىق كۈزەن
roman: sësiq küzen
lang: Uzbek
word: kokarca
lang: Uzbek
word: skuns
lang: Uzbek
word: sassiq koʻzani
lang: Ventureño
word: taxama
lang: Vietnamese
word: chồn hôi
lang: Welsh
word: drewgi
lang: Wolof
word: jab bi
lang: Yiddish
word: טכויר
roman: tkhoyr
lang: Buena Vista Yokuts
word: tsox
lang: Southern Valley Yokuts
word: cox
lang: Isthmus Zapotec
word: beʼteʼ
lang: Zazaki
word: boyınce
lang: Zazaki
word: boyğanık