Meanings
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1
noun
a length of yarn or thread wound into a loose, elongated coil
She held the skein while her teacher wound the wool into a ball.
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2
noun
a tangled or intricately connected mass, sequence, or web
The detective slowly unraveled a skein of lies and hidden payments.
Thesaurus
Etymology
From Middle English skeyne, ultimately related to Dutch scheen and other Germanic words for a strip, bar, or length. The yarn sense names thread arranged in a long loose coil rather than tightly wound on a spool; its visible crossings encouraged the figurative sense of an intricate tangle or web.