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skin

(skĭn)

1. The membranous tissue forming the external covering or integument of an animal and consisting in vertebrates of the epidermis and dermis.

2. An animal pelt, especially the comparatively pliable pelt of a small or young animal: a tent made of goat skins.

a. A usually thin, closely adhering outer layer: the skin of a peach; a sausage skin; the skin of an aircraft.

b. A thin, close-fitting, usually elastic garment, especially a shirt, worn by scuba divers and others who engage in water sports for protection against scrapes and other superficial injuries.

4. A container for liquids that is made of animal skin.

5. Music A drumhead.

6. One of a pair of strips of fabric or other material temporarily applied to the undersides of a pair of skis to provide traction while ascending slopes.

7. Computers A design layout for the interface of a program such as a media player or instant messaging application that a user can select and often customize in order to alter the default appearance.

8. Informal One's life or physical survival: They lied to save their skins.

v. skinned, skin·ning, skins

v.tr.

1. To remove skin from: skinned and gutted the rabbit.

2. To bruise, cut, or injure the skin or surface of: She skinned her knee.

3. To remove (an outer covering); peel off: skin off the thin bark.

4. To cover with a skin or a similar layer: skin the framework of a canoe.

5. Slang To fleece; swindle.

v.intr.

1. To become covered with skin or a similar layer: In January the pond skins over with ice.

2. To pass with little room to spare: We barely skinned by.

adj.
Slang

Of, relating to, or depicting pornography: skin magazines.

Idioms:

by the skin of (one's) teeth

By the smallest margin.

get under (someone's) skin

1. To irritate or stimulate; provoke.

2. To preoccupy someone; become an obsession.

have a thick skin

1. To be slow to take offense.

2. To be insensitive to the needs or concerns of others.

make (one's) skin/flesh crawl

To cause one to be afraid or disgusted.

under the skin

Beneath the surface; fundamentally: enemies who are really brothers under the skin.

[Middle English, from Old Norse skinn; see sek- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

(click for a larger image)

skin

cross section of human skin

A. melanocyte

B. muscle

C. sebaceous gland

D. hair shaft

E. epidermis

F. dermis

G. subcutaneous tissue

H. fat

I. artery

J. sweat gland

K. hair follicle

L. Pacinian corpuscle

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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