Revised 2019 More entries for "skunk"
skunknoun
Factsheet
What does the noun skunk mean?
There are seven meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun skunk, one of which is labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
skunk has developed meanings and uses in subjects including
How common is the noun skunk?
About 0.8occurrences per million words in modern written English
| 1750 | 0.011 |
| 1760 | 0.015 |
| 1770 | 0.021 |
| 1780 | 0.027 |
| 1790 | 0.044 |
| 1800 | 0.058 |
| 1810 | 0.084 |
| 1820 | 0.098 |
| 1830 | 0.13 |
| 1840 | 0.17 |
| 1850 | 0.22 |
| 1860 | 0.28 |
| 1870 | 0.37 |
| 1880 | 0.47 |
| 1890 | 0.58 |
| 1900 | 0.73 |
| 1910 | 0.86 |
| 1920 | 0.97 |
| 1930 | 1.0 |
| 1940 | 0.98 |
| 1950 | 0.9 |
| 1960 | 0.83 |
| 1970 | 0.77 |
| 1980 | 0.75 |
| 1990 | 0.77 |
| 2000 | 0.8 |
| 2010 | 0.81 |
How is the noun skunk pronounced?
British English
/skʌŋk/
skunk
U.S. English
/skəŋk/
skunk
Where does the noun skunk come from?
Earliest known use
mid 1600s
The earliest known use of the noun skunk is in the mid 1600s.
OED's earliest evidence for skunk is from 1634, in the writing of William Wood, writer on America.
skunk is a borrowing from an Southern New England Algonquian language.
Nearby entries
- skullery, n.1818–
- skull-fish, n.1668–
- skullful | scullful, n.1844–
- skull-less, adj.1879–
- skull-man, n.1659
- skull-moss, n.1631–81
- skull-seam, n.1605
- skull session, n.1959–
- skull-vein, n.1838–
- skully, adj.1896–
- skunk, n.1634–
- skunk, v.1831–
- skunk ape, n.1971–
- skunk bear, n.1876–
- skunk bird, n.1831–
- skunk blackbird, n.1829–
- skunkbush, n.1874–
- skunk cabbage, n.1751–
- skunk cannabis, n.1995–
- skunk currant, n.a1817–
- skunkdom, n.1839–
Etymology
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Meaning & use
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Pronunciation
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Forms
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Frequency
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Compounds & derived words
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Entry history for skunk, n.
skunk, n. was revised in March 2019.
skunk, n. was last modified in March 2024.
oed.com is a living text, updated every three months. Modifications may include:
- further revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
- new senses, phrases, and quotations.
Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into skunk, n. in March 2024.
Earlier versions of this entry were published in:
OED First Edition (1911)
OED Second Edition (1989)
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Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “,” , .
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Citation details
Factsheet for skunk, n.
Browse entry
Nearby entries
- skullery, n.1818–
- skull-fish, n.1668–
- skullful | scullful, n.1844–
- skull-less, adj.1879–
- skull-man, n.1659
- skull-moss, n.1631–81
- skull-seam, n.1605
- skull session, n.1959–
- skull-vein, n.1838–
- skully, adj.1896–
- skunk, n.1634–
- skunk, v.1831–
- skunk ape, n.1971–
- skunk bear, n.1876–
- skunk bird, n.1831–
- skunk blackbird, n.1829–
- skunkbush, n.1874–
- skunk cabbage, n.1751–
- skunk cannabis, n.1995–
- skunk currant, n.a1817–
- skunkdom, n.1839–
