skunk

C2 Topic:Animals

US /skʌŋk/ UK /skʌŋk/ See IPA manual

Freq #11224

Meanings

1

noun
a small black-and-white American mammal that can spray a powerful-smelling defensive fluid

A startled skunk sprayed beneath the porch and left the house smelling foul for days.
2

noun
a contemptible or thoroughly unpleasant person

He felt like a skunk after taking credit for his colleague's work.
3

noun
a strong-smelling, high-potency variety of cannabis

Police reported finding several bags of skunk in the vehicle.
4

noun
a defeat in which the losing side fails to score

The team suffered its first skunk of the season, losing twelve to zero.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

2 noun · a contemptible or... scoundrellowlifestinkpot

3 noun · a strong-smelling,... cannabismarijuana

4 noun · a defeat in which the... shutout

Word family

Forms skunks

Derived forms deskunkskunkish

Related forms polecat musk cannabis

Appears in

Proverbs (2)

See all

Simplified etymology

Skunk entered English in the mid-17th century from Abnaki segankw.

Etymology

Borrowed in the seventeenth century from a Southern New England Algonquian language; it is cognate with Abenaki segogw and ultimately refers to the animal's spraying of musk. The insulting sense arose from the animal's notorious odor.

Topics

Animals

External links

# skunk

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /skʌŋk/
**IPA (UK):** /skʌŋk/
**Frequency rank:** 11224

## Meanings
1. a small black-and-white American mammal that can spray a powerful-smelling defensive fluid
2. a contemptible or thoroughly unpleasant person
3. a strong-smelling, high-potency variety of cannabis
4. a defeat in which the losing side fails to score

## Examples
- A startled skunk sprayed beneath the porch and left the house smelling foul for days.
- He felt like a skunk after taking credit for his colleague's work.
- Police reported finding several bags of skunk in the vehicle.
- The team suffered its first skunk of the season, losing twelve to zero.

## Synonyms
- scoundrel
- lowlife
- stinkpot
- shutout

## Derived Forms
- deskunk
- skunkish

## Related Forms
- polecat
- musk
- cannabis

## Etymology
Borrowed in the seventeenth century from a Southern New England Algonquian language; it is cognate with Abenaki segogw and ultimately refers to the animal's spraying of musk. The insulting sense arose from the animal's notorious odor.

## Topics
- Animals

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