skill
[skɪɫ] noun, adjective, verb
Forms skills skiller skillest skilling skilled skil
- noun A capacity to do something well; a technique, an ability, usually acquired or learned, as opposed to abilities that are regarded as innate. “Where did you pick up that skill?”
- noun (artificial intelligence) A reusable configuration (prompt) that defines how an AI agent performs a specific task.
- noun (obsolete) Discrimination; judgment; propriety; reason; cause.
- noun (obsolete) Knowledge; understanding.
- noun (obsolete) Display of art; exercise of ability; contrivance; address.
- adjective (UK, slang) Great, excellent.
- verb (transitive) To set apart; separate.
- verb (transitive, chiefly dialectal) To discern; have knowledge or understanding; to know how (to).
- verb (transitive, dialectal, Scotland, Northern England, rare) To know; to understand.
- verb (intransitive) To have knowledge or comprehension; discern.
- verb (intransitive) To have personal or practical knowledge; be versed or practised; be expert or dextrous.
- verb (intransitive, archaic) To make a difference; signify; matter.
- verb (video games) To spend acquired points in exchange for skills.
Synonyms
ability technique aptitude capacity craft capability competency competence cunning dexterity ease facility hand knack list prowess moxie potential proficiency talent accomplishment acquirement acquisition attainment science
Antonyms
Etymology
From Middle English skill, skille (also schil, schile), from Old Norse skil (“a distinction, discernment, knowledge”), from Proto-Germanic *skilją (“separation, limit”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelH- (“to split, cut”). Cognate with Danish skel (“a separation, boundary, divide”), Swedish skäl (“reason”), Dutch verschil (“difference”) and schillen (“to separate the outer layer (schil) from the product”, verb).
From Middle English skilen (also schillen), partly from Old English scilian (“to separate, part, divide off”); and partly from Old Norse skilja (“to divide, separate”); both from Proto-Germanic *skilōną, *skiljaną (“to divide, limit”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelH- (“to split, cut”). Cognate with Danish skille (“to separate, discard”), Swedish skilja (“to distinguish, differentiate, part”), Icelandic skilja (“to understand”), Low German schelen (“to make a difference; to be squint-eyed”), Dutch schelen (“to make a difference”).
Webster’s 1913
- noun Discrimination; judgment; propriety; reason; cause. [Obs.] Shak.
- noun Knowledge; understanding. [Obsoles.]
- verb To know; to understand. [Obs.]
- verb To be knowing; to have understanding; to be dexterous in performance. [Obs.]
Etymology [Icel. skil a distinction, discernment; akin to skilja to separate, divide, distinguish, Sw. skilja,. skille to separate, skiel reason, right, justice, Sw. skäl reason, Lith. skelli to cleave. Cf. Shell, Shoal, a multitude.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “skill”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details