skɪn n. & v. --n. 1
the flexible continuous covering of a
human or
other animal body. 2 a the skin of a flayed animal
with or
without the
hair etc. b a
material prepared
from skins
esp. of smaller animals (opp. HIDE(2)). 3 a person's skin with
reference to
its colour or
complexion (has a fair skin). 4 an
outer layer or covering, esp. the
coating of a
plant,
fruit, or
sausage. 5 a
film like skin on the
surface of a
liquid etc. 6 a
container for liquid,
made of an animal's
whole skin. 7 a the
planking or
plating of a
ship or
boat,
inside or
outside the ribs. b the outer covering of
any craft or
vehicle, esp. an
aircraft or
spacecraft. 8
Brit. sl. a
skinhead. 9 US Cards a game in
which each player has one card which he bets will
not be the
first to be matched by a card
dealt from the pack. 10 = gold-beater's skin. 11 a duplicating
stencil. --v. (skinned, skinning) 1 tr.
remove the skin from. 2 (often foll. by over) a tr.
cover (a
sore etc.) with or as with skin. b intr. (of a wound etc.)
become covered with
new skin. 3 tr. sl.
fleece or
swindle. øbe skin
and bone be
very thin. by (or with) the skin of one's
teeth by a very
narrow margin.
change one's skin
undergo an
impossible change of
character etc.
get under a person's skin colloq.
interest or
annoy a
person intensely.
have a
thick (or thin) skin be
insensitive (or sensitive) to
criticism etc. no skin
off one's
nose colloq. a
matter of
indifference or even
benefit to one. skin-deep (of a wound, or of an
emotion, an
impression,
beauty, etc.)
superficial, not
deep or
lasting. skin-diver a person
who swims
underwater without a diving-suit, usu. in deep
water with an
aqualung and flippers. skin-diving
such swimming. skin
effect Electr. the
tendency of a high-frequency alternating
current to
flow through the outer layer
only of a
conductor. skin-flick sl. an explicitly pornographic film. skin-food a
cosmetic intended to
improve the
condition of the skin. skin
friction friction at the surface of a
solid and a
fluid in
relative motion. skin game US sl. a swindling game. skin-graft 1 the
surgical transplanting of skin. 2 a
piece of skin transferred in
this way. skin test a test to
determine whether an
immune reaction is elicited
when a
substance is
applied to or injected
into the skin. skin-tight (of a garment) very close-fitting. to the skin through
all one's
clothing (soaked to the skin). with a whole skin
unwounded. øøskinless adj. skin-like adj. skinned adj. (also in comb.). [OE scin(n) f. ON skinn]