Definition of SKEIN

skein

Plural: skeins

Noun

  • coils of worsted yarn
  • A quantity of yarn, thread, etc. put up together in an oblong shape, after it is taken from the reel. A skein of cotton yarn is formed by eighty turns of the thread around a fifty-four inch reel.
  • A web, a weave, a tangle.
  • The membrane of a fish ovary.
  • A metallic strengthening band or thimble on the wooden arm of an axle.
  • A group of wild fowl (e.g. geese, goslings) when they are in flight.
  • A winning streak.
  • A series created by a web (major broadcasting network).

Verb

Verb Forms: skeined, skeining, skeins

  • To wind yarn or thread into long, loose coils.
  • To wind or weave into a skein.

Examples

  • He tried to skein his letters into a bingo, but the vowels wouldn’t cooperate.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English skayne, from Old French escaigne (Modern French écagne), probably of Proto-Celtic origin, from Proto-Indo-European *skend- (“to split off”). Compare Irish scáinne (“skein, clew”).

Scrabble Score: 9

skein: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
skein: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
skein: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 10

skein: valid Words With Friends Word