*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of skink

Possibly from Middle Low German schink, schinke, schenke (“leg; shank; shin bone; ham”), from Old Saxon skinka, from Proto-West Germanic *skinkō (“shank; thigh; that which is bent”), from Proto-Germanic *skinkô, from Pro

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 shin of beef. · A soup or pottage made from a boiled shin of beef. · Usually preceded by a descriptive word: a soup or pottage made using other ingredients.

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

Possibly from Middle Low German schink, schinke, schenke (“leg; shank; shin bone; ham”), from Old Saxon skinka, from Proto-West Germanic *skinkō (“shank; thigh; that which is bent”), from Proto-Germanic *skinkô, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)keng- (“to limp; to be crooked, slant”). The word is cognate with Danish skinke (“ham”), Middle Dutch schenke, schinke (“shin; hough; ham”), Icelandic skinka (“ham”), Norwegian skinke (“ham”), Old English ġesċincio, ġesċinco (“kidney fat”), Old High German skinka, skinko (“shank; shin bone”) (Middle High German schinke (“shank; shin bone; ham”), modern German Schinken (“ham; pork from the hindquarters”)), Old Saxon skinka (“ham”), Old Swedish skinke (modern Swedish skinka (“ham”)).

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.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "root",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*(s)keng-"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gml",
        "3": "schink"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle Low German schink"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "osx",
        "3": "skinka"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Saxon skinka"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*skinkō",
        "4": "",
        "5": "shank; thigh; that which is bent"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *skinkō (“shank; thigh; that which is bent”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*skinkô"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *skinkô"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*(s)keng-",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to limp; to be crooked, slant"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *(s)keng- (“to limp; to be crooked, slant”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "da",
        "2": "skinke",
        "3": "",
        "4": "ham"
      },
      "expansion": "Danish skinke (“ham”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "dum",
        "2": "schenke"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle Dutch schenke"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "is",
        "2": "skinka",
        "3": "",
        "4": "ham"
      },
      "expansion": "Icelandic skinka (“ham”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "no",
        "2": "skinke",
        "3": "",
        "4": "ham"
      },
      "expansion": "Norwegian skinke (“ham”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "ġesċincio"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English ġesċincio"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "goh",
        "2": "skinka"
      },
      "expansion": "Old High German skinka"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "gmh",
        "2": "schinke",
        "3": "",
        "4": "shank; shin bone; ham"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle High German schinke (“shank; shin bone; ham”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "de",
        "2": "Schinken",
        "3": "",
        "4": "ham; pork from the hindquarters"
      },
      "expansion": "German Schinken (“ham; pork from the hindquarters”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "osx",
        "2": "skinka",
        "3": "",
        "4": "ham"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Saxon skinka (“ham”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "gmq-osw",
        "2": "skinke"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Swedish skinke"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "sv",
        "2": "skinka",
        "3": "",
        "4": "ham"
      },
      "expansion": "Swedish skinka (“ham”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "sup",
      "args": {
        "1": "2"
      },
      "expansion": "²"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "schink",
      "schink#Middle_Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "schinke",
      "schinke#Middle_Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "schenke",
      "schenke#Middle_Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "skinka",
      "skinka#Old_Saxon"
    ],
    [
      "*skinkō",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/skinkō"
    ],
    [
      "*skinkô",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/skinkô"
    ],
    [
      "*(s)keng-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/(s)keng-"
    ],
    [
      "skinke",
      "skinke#Danish"
    ],
    [
      "schenke",
      "schenke#Middle_Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "schinke",
      "schinke#Middle_Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "skinka",
      "skinka#Icelandic"
    ],
    [
      "skinke",
      "skinke#Norwegian"
    ],
    [
      "ġesċincio",
      "gescincio#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "ġesċinco",
      "gescinco#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "skinka",
      "skinka#Old_High_German"
    ],
    [
      "skinko",
      "skinko#Old_High_German"
    ],
    [
      "schinke",
      "schinke#Middle_High_German"
    ],
    [
      "Schinken",
      "Schinken#German"
    ],
    [
      "skinka",
      "skinka#Old_Saxon"
    ],
    [
      "skinke",
      "skinke#Old_Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "skinka",
      "skinka#Swedish"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
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      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A shin of beef.",
        "A soup or pottage made from a boiled shin of beef.",
        "Usually preceded by a descriptive word: a soup or pottage made using other ingredients."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Northern-England",
        "Scotland",
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Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A lizard of the family Scincidae, having small or reduced limbs or none at all and long tails that are regenerated when shed; a sandfish.

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

From Middle French scinc, from Latin scincus, from Ancient Greek σκίγγος (skíngos), σκίγκος (skínkos).

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.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "dercat",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "qsb-grc",
        "3": "sem"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "frm",
        "3": "scinc"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle French scinc"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "scincus"
      },
      "expansion": "Latin scincus"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "grc",
        "3": "σκίγγος"
      },
      "expansion": "Ancient Greek σκίγγος (skíngos)"
    },
    {
      "name": "taxlink",
      "args": {
        "1": "Trachylepis capensis",
        "2": "species"
      },
      "expansion": "Trachylepis capensis"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "scinc",
      "scinc#Middle_French"
    ],
    [
      "scincus",
      "scincus#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "σκίγγος",
      "σκίγγος#Ancient_Greek"
    ],
    [
      "σκίγκος",
      "σκίγκος#Ancient_Greek"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A lizard of the family Scincidae, having small or reduced limbs or none at all and long tails that are regenerated when shed; a sandfish."
      ],
      "tags": [],
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Source etymology 3

Original entry ↗
noun

A drink.

verb

To serve (a drink). · To give (something) as a present.

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

From Middle English skinken, skynken, skenken, from Middle Dutch scinken, scenken, schenken and/or Old Norse skenkja, both from Proto-Germanic *skankijaną. Cognate with German schenken (“to give as a present”), Dutch schenken (“to pour, give as a present”). See also the inherited doublet shink.

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.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "skinken"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English skinken"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "dum",
        "3": "scinken"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle Dutch scinken"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
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        "2": "non",
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      },
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    },
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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*skankijaną"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *skankijaną"
    },
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      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
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        "2": "schenken",
        "3": "",
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      },
      "expansion": "German schenken (“to give as a present”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "nl",
        "2": "schenken",
        "3": "",
        "4": "to pour, give as a present"
      },
      "expansion": "Dutch schenken (“to pour, give as a present”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "doublet",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "shink",
        "notext": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "shink"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "skinken",
      "skinken#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "skynken",
      "skynken#Middle_English"
    ],
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      "skenken",
      "skenken#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "scinken",
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    ],
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    ],
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    ],
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    ],
    [
      "schenken",
      "schenken#German"
    ],
    [
      "schenken",
      "schenken#Dutch"
    ],
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      "shink",
      "shink#English"
    ]
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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 skink →

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-c2tpbms