English word origin

Etymology of skank

Unknown. Perhaps from skag (“unattractive woman”), but the origins of skag are unknown. Compare scold (“troublesome woman”), skeevy (“disgusting”). Attested from the 1960s.

3 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 3 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

A lewd and disreputable person, often female, especially an unattractive person with an air of tawdry promiscuity. · Anything that is particularly foul, unhygienic or unpleasant.

adj

Lewd, vulgar, skanky. · Foul, unhygienic.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Unknown. Perhaps from skag (“unattractive woman”), but the origins of skag are unknown. Compare scold (“troublesome woman”), skeevy (“disgusting”). Attested from the 1960s.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "unk",
      "args": {
        "1": "en"
      },
      "expansion": "Unknown"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "skag",
      "skag#English"
    ],
    [
      "scold",
      "scold#English"
    ],
    [
      "skeevy",
      "skeevy#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A lewd and disreputable person, often female, especially an unattractive person with an air of tawdry promiscuity.",
        "Anything that is particularly foul, unhygienic or unpleasant."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "derogatory",
        "slang",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "recordId": "00130a6b0d54fbdae1be6b3a9c9a08ac318004eebed7b7b2bb3ea88e93b0c052",
      "rawRecordSha256": "204593ea6b94f28fbc6da81913ec54dfcd3b2e5304d5f9256a635aae06e8f547",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 250295
    },
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Lewd, vulgar, skanky.",
        "Foul, unhygienic."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "derogatory",
        "slang"
      ],
      "recordId": "0d6eb8c829a6286991926bc882db9c459db799b2f2bc646acdb8389afe1f6b24",
      "rawRecordSha256": "5f52433113bb844c62307e4597fbe167f30e56943acd64630ec16ca8e1ea659c",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 250296
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

A dance performed to ska, dub, or reggae music. · A style of rhythmic guitar strumming in ska, reggae, and punk.

verb

To dance the skank. · To play guitar with a skank rhythm. · To be dishonest or unreliable, to defraud or deceive, to steal.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Originally Jamaican, attested from the twentieth century, but earliest source is uncertain. The verb sense be dishonest is evidently older. Perhaps originally onomatopoeic. The dance senses may come from a resemblance to motorcyclists weaving between larger vehicles. Compare skanker.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "onomatopoeic",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "nocap": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "onomatopoeic"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "skanker",
      "skanker#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A dance performed to ska, dub, or reggae music.",
        "A style of rhythmic guitar strumming in ska, reggae, and punk."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "recordId": "0d944518224d47c684fb26aa6e307451c61b0d5c96db6c1790402ba0374f947a",
      "rawRecordSha256": "a1933e04cdd5a33e056e059e01605ac84fade192faae3c3422cbd06490c7fada",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 250297
    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To dance the skank.",
        "To play guitar with a skank rhythm.",
        "To be dishonest or unreliable, to defraud or deceive, to steal."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Jamaica",
        "intransitive",
        "transitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "804c3e1731821860ed3ea618fb4730fef88787cd80e62c6c425564a46255d55e",
      "rawRecordSha256": "3cb4f1cec625a736f3c1495983451d142750490170672a0204043293ad53af26",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 250298
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗

verb

To cheat or betray, especially a friend. · To steal, or otherwise acquire underhandedly.

noun

The act of cheating a person.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Slang word used in Northern England. Unknown. Perhaps from etymology 2, above; attested in West Indian and UK black slang from the twentieth century.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "unk",
      "args": {
        "1": "en"
      },
      "expansion": "Unknown"
    }
  ],
  "links": [],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To cheat or betray, especially a friend.",
        "To steal, or otherwise acquire underhandedly."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "0abd8f61624057f9994ea545aacc7f84b4cfe62634986690d6aacf1fe05a504e",
      "rawRecordSha256": "d231b77941ac365953daf103537822061cae3e7cf8074488b0607b612892cd77",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 250300
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "The act of cheating a person."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "cb932d79eb275beee7ed838082ca1d29edd3a6a8fd540eac238b75d06b72dc17",
      "rawRecordSha256": "09d2d365f9e28121d2c1112ad5f78c6bbd0a6e550ae34edf7b6d6dc7b82ac590",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 250299
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for skank →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-c2thbms