*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of skeet

Pseudo-archaic alteration of shoot, perhaps with reference to Old Norse skjóta; compare Scots skite (“to dart, to shoot”). The name for a form of trapshooting is attested from the 1920s, see quotations below. Senses rela

4 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 4 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 ↗
verb

To shoot or spray. · To ejaculate.

noun

A form of trapshooting using clay targets to simulate birds in flight. · A hand consisting of a 9, a 5, a 2, and two other cards lower than 9. · The ejaculation of semen. · A young working-class person who may be loud, disruptive and poorly educated.

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

Pseudo-archaic alteration of shoot, perhaps with reference to Old Norse skjóta; compare Scots skite (“to dart, to shoot”). The name for a form of trapshooting is attested from the 1920s, see quotations below. Senses related to ejaculation of semen likely derive from this, but compare also squirt, skite, or scoot. The word skeet is attested in reference to working class persons in US English from the 19th century, or the Newfoundland and Labrador regionalism may derive from other terms such as skite or skeeter; see quotation below.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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        "3": "*(s)kewd-"
      },
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    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sco",
        "2": "skite",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to dart, to shoot"
      },
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    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "shoot",
      "shoot#English"
    ],
    [
      "Old Norse",
      "Old Norse"
    ],
    [
      "skjóta",
      "skjóta#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "skite",
      "skite#Scots"
    ],
    [
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      "squirt#English"
    ],
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      "skite#English"
    ],
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      "scoot#English"
    ],
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      "skeeter",
      "skeeter#English"
    ]
  ],
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        "To shoot or spray.",
        "To ejaculate."
      ],
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
verb

To wet the sails or deck of a vessel.

noun

A long-handled shovel or scoop. · A scoop with a long handle, used to wash the sides of a vessel and formerly to wet the sails or deck.

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

Unknown. Compare Icelandic skeið (“spoon”), from Old Norse skeið (“a sheath”). Attested from the 15th century; see quotation below.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Cognate mentionskeiðis · spoon
  • Derivation mentionskeiðnon · a sheath
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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    },
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
verb

to spy through the front windows of somebody else's house

noun

news or gossip

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

Uncertain. Compare Manx skeetagh (“nosy”, adverb). Compare also English peek (“to look slyly; a quick glance”, verb or noun) or skit (“to caper; to be skittish”, verb).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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      },
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    },
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      "args": {
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      },
      "expansion": "²"
    }
  ],
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Source etymology 4

Original entry ↗
noun

A post on the Bluesky social media platform.

verb

To create a skeet.

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

Blend of sky + tweet, from the resemblance to tweets posted on Twitter. Strongly discouraged by CEO Jay Graber.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

  • Blend componentskyen
  • Blend componenttweeten
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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    }
  ],
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    ],
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      "tweet",
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    ],
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      "tweet"
    ]
  ],
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      ],
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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 skeet →

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
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Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-c2tlZXQ