English word origin

Etymology of skimp

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 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 mock, deride, scorn, scold, make fun of.

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

Perhaps of North Germanic origin, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *skimpijaną (“to skip, dance, gesture, mock”). Cognate with Icelandic skimpa (“to scoff at, scorn”), dialectal Swedish skimpa (“to skip, dance”), Faroese skumpa (“to shove, bump”), German schimpfen (“to grumble, scold”), Dutch schimpen (“to mock, make fun of, scold”). Possibly distantly related to change.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Derivation mention*skimpijanągem-pro · to skip, dance, gesture, mock
Cognate mentionskimpais · to scoff at, scorn
Cognate mentionskimpasv · to skip, dance
Cognate mentionskumpafo · to shove, bump
Cognate mentionschimpfende · to grumble, scold
Cognate mentionschimpennl · to mock, make fun of, scold

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "uder",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmq",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "North Germanic"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*skimpijaną",
        "t": "to skip, dance, gesture, mock"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *skimpijaną (“to skip, dance, gesture, mock”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "skimpa",
        "t": "to scoff at, scorn"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic skimpa (“to scoff at, scorn”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "skimpa",
        "t": "to skip, dance"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish skimpa (“to skip, dance”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "fo",
        "2": "skumpa",
        "t": "to shove, bump"
      },
      "expansion": "Faroese skumpa (“to shove, bump”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "schimpfen",
        "t": "to grumble, scold"
      },
      "expansion": "German schimpfen (“to grumble, scold”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "schimpen",
        "t": "to mock, make fun of, scold"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch schimpen (“to mock, make fun of, scold”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "*skimpijaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/skimpijaną"
    ],
    [
      "skimpa",
      "skimpa#Icelandic"
    ],
    [
      "skimpa",
      "skimpa#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "skumpa",
      "skumpa#Faroese"
    ],
    [
      "schimpfen",
      "schimpfen#German"
    ],
    [
      "schimpen",
      "schimpen#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "change",
      "change#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To mock, deride, scorn, scold, make fun of."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Northern-England",
        "Scotland"
      ],
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

adj

Scanty.

verb

To slight; to do carelessly; to scamp. · To make insufficient allowance for; to scant; to scrimp. · To save; to be parsimonious or stingy.

noun

A skimpy or insubstantial thing, especially a piece of clothing. · Underwear.

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

Probably related to scamp and scrimp.

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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  "templates": [],
  "links": [
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  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "adj",
      "glosses": [
        "Scanty."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "US",
        "colloquial",
        "dated",
        "dialectal"
      ],
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    },
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To slight; to do carelessly; to scamp.",
        "To make insufficient allowance for; to scant; to scrimp.",
        "To save; to be parsimonious or stingy."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive",
        "intransitive"
      ],
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 239550
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A skimpy or insubstantial thing, especially a piece of clothing.",
        "Underwear."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "colloquial",
        "in-plural"
      ],
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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 skimp →

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-c2tpbXA