skink

1 of 2

verb

skinked; skinking; skinks

transitive verb

chiefly dialectal
: to draw, pour out, or serve (drink)

skink

2 of 2

noun

: any of a family (Scincidae) of typically small insectivorous lizards with long tapering bodies

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
The mode skinks use to reproduce generally corresponds with their environment. Harmeet Kaur, CNN, 11 Apr. 2020 Overall, the study suggests that there is some evolutionary advantage for having green blood that skinks from various habitats all developed over time. Jason Daley, Smithsonian, 17 May 2018
Noun
Arnhem Land Gorges skink is a member of the genus Bellatorias, like this lizard. Anna Funk, Discover Magazine, 16 Nov. 2020 She’s rescued or inherited dozens of reptiles, including a five-foot western diamondback, a skink and a Gila monster. azcentral, 15 Apr. 2021 But there are a few other residents of her studio apartment: a bearded dragon named Baby Pancake, guinea pigs Poppy and Pumpernickel, a newt named Fig, a leopard gecko named Pepper, Peony, a Betta fish, and Patricia, a blue-tongued skink. Megan Johnson, BostonGlobe.com, 11 Jan. 2023 Among the museum’s residents is a prehensile-tailed skink named Raven, who was confiscated by authorities in California after an attempt to be smuggled into the country from the Solomon Islands. Dewayne Bevil, Orlando Sentinel, 9 Jan. 2023 But shape isn't everything, as a team of researchers recently discovered while watching hundreds of skink lizards court and spark . Veronique Greenwood, Discover Magazine, 29 Aug. 2011 And a blue-tongued skink that was in such bad shape that its eyes had sunk in has gotten better after a veterinarian scraped away the debris and scales that had grown over its eyes and probably had prevented it from seeing, according to Peet. Dana Hedgpeth, Washington Post, 28 Dec. 2022 The researchers found the rear of the skink's tongue was nearly twice as brightly blue and ultraviolet as the tip. Charles Choi, Discover Magazine, 8 June 2018 In one case, a female skink was basking with her family when a snake appeared near their crevice. Hannah Thomasy, New York Times, 24 Oct. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'skink.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Middle Dutch schenken; akin to Old English scencan to pour out drink and probably to scanca shank

Noun

Latin scincus, from Greek skinkos

First Known Use

Verb

1866, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1590, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of skink was in 1590

Dictionary Entries Near skink

Cite this Entry

“Skink.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/skink. Accessed 29 Mar. 2023.

Kids Definition

skink

noun
ˈskiŋk
: any of a family of mostly small lizards with smooth scales

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