skulk

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /skʌlk/ UK /skʌlk/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

verb
to move or lurk furtively in order to avoid notice

A figure was seen to skulk in the shadows of the alley.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to move or lurk furtively... lurk prowl sneak slink creep loiter

Word family

Derived forms skulker

Related forms skulking

Etymology

From Middle English skulken, of Scandinavian origin, akin to Norwegian skulka ('to lurk') and Danish skulke ('to shirk, play truant').

skulka Old Norse

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# skulk

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /skʌlk/
**IPA (UK):** /skʌlk/

## Meanings
1. to move or lurk furtively in order to avoid notice

## Examples
- A figure was seen to skulk in the shadows of the alley.

## Synonyms
- lurk
- prowl
- sneak
- slink
- creep
- loiter

## Derived Forms
- skulker

## Related Forms
- skulking

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: skulka

## Etymology
From Middle English skulken, of Scandinavian origin, akin to Norwegian skulka ('to lurk') and Danish skulke ('to shirk, play truant').

## AI Etymology
Skulk comes from Middle English skulken, of Scandinavian origin, akin to Norwegian skulka ('to lurk') and Danish skulke ('to shirk, play truant'). The historical chain includes Old Norse skulka. The quoted older senses, "to lurk" and "to shirk, play truant", supply the semantic anchors for skulk. The formation is best read as borrowed: the word skulk carries its older form-history into a compact English lexical shape. In present English it is used as a verb, "to move or lurk furtively in order to avoid notice". English derivatives include skulker; related English forms include skulking. The result is a verb whose etymology preserves both the older form and the later English specialization.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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