Word of the Day

: January 4, 2024

skulk

verb SKULK

What It Means

To skulk is to move around or hide in a stealthy or secretive way. A person or animal that is said to be skulking is often assumed or considered to be up to some form of wrongdoing or mischief.

// The cat often skulks around the entryway, waiting for someone to open the front door so it can sneak out.

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skulk in Context

“To the general public, vultures may seem vaguely repulsive, Edward Gorey-type characters that skulk in bare trees waiting for something to die. But to researchers who study any of the 23 species in today’s vulture consortium, the birds brim with intelligence born of their exceptional vocation.” — Natalie Angier, The New York Times, 12 Nov. 2023

Did You Know?

Here's one for the word-puzzle lovers. Name three qualities that the word skulk shares with each of the following words: booth, brink, cog, flit, kid, meek, scab, seem, and skull. If you noticed that all of the terms on that list have just one syllable, then you've got the first, and easiest, similarity. The next two require some special knowledge: all of the words are of Scandinavian origin and all were first recorded in English in the 13th century. As for skulk specifically, its closest known Scandinavian relative is the Norwegian dialect word skulka, which means “to lie in wait” or “to lurk.” Skulk is also used—though less often—as a noun, referring either to “one that skulks” or to a group of foxes, animals often held to be furtively lurking around.