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sketch

(skĕch)

1. A hasty or undetailed drawing or painting often made as a preliminary study.

2. A brief general account or presentation; an outline.

a. A brief, light, or informal literary composition, such as an essay or a short story.

b. Music A brief composition, especially for the piano.

c. A short, often satirical scene or play in a revue or variety show; a skit.

4. Informal An amusing person.

v. sketched, sketch·ing, sketch·es

v.tr.

To make a sketch of; outline.

v.intr.

To make a sketch.

[Dutch schets, from Italian schizzo, from schizzare, to splash, of imitative origin.]

sketcher n.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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