skunk
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skunk¹
- /skʌŋk/
Rhymes with -ʌŋk
Where it comes from
Borrowed from an unattested Southern New England Eastern Algonquian word cognate with Abenaki segôgw (literally “he who squirts (musk) / urinates”), from Proto-Algonquian *šeka·kwa, from *šek- (“to urinate”). Doublet of Chicago.
noun skunks · scunck
- Any of various mammals of the subfamily Mephitinae, native to North and Central America, having a glossy black coat with white markings and two musk glands at the base of the tail for emitting a noxious smell as a defensive measure. The beaſts of offence be Squunckes, Ferrets, Foxes, vvhoſe impudence ſometimes drives them to the good vvives Hen rooſt, to fill their Paunch: ſome of theſe be blacke; their furre is of much eſteeme.
- A despicable person. In fact, the term he applied to this species of human being was "skunk," and he used it freely.
- Anything very bad; a stinker. On the other hand, many critics contend that in terms of literary quality, many of the multiple-storyline books are true skunks.
- A walkover victory in sports or board games, as when the opposing side is unable to score.
- A win by thirty or more points. (A double skunk is sixty or more, a triple skunk ninety or more.)
verb skunks · skunking · skunked · scunck
- To spray someone with a strong-smelling liquid. "Yeah, Nolan tried to skunk me. Malcolm's making him clean up the pit right now,” said Simon, heading over to his dresser. “That explains the smell,” muttered the mouse. “You need a shower.”
- To defeat so badly as to prevent any opposing points. I skunked him at cards.
- To win by thirty or more points.
- To go bad, to spoil.
skunk²
- /skʌŋk/
Rhymes with -ʌŋk
Where it comes from
Blend of skinhead + punk, influenced by the animal (Etymology 1).
noun skunks · scunck
- A member of a hybrid skinhead and punk subculture. In the early 1980s, certain ex-punks joined them, becoming 'skunks' – a hybrid subculture of skinheads and punks.
skunk³
- /skʌŋk/
Rhymes with -ʌŋk
Where it comes from
From skunkweed (“certain highly aromatic marijuana”).
noun skunks · scunck
- Clipping of skunkweed, type of marijuana.
- Any of the strains of hybrids of Cannabis sativa and Cannabis indica that may have THC levels exceeding those of typical hashish.
Skunk⁴
proper noun
- A river in Iowa, United States; tributary of the Mississippi.
- A river in Morrison County, Minnesota, United States; tributary of the Platte.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: polecat, rat, wood pussy, weed, grass, cannabis, marijuana, ganja, marihuana, crumb, pot, smoke, bum, stinker, puke, dope
Translations
Every language
noun animal
| Español | mofeta, zorro hediondo, zorrillo, zorrino, chingue, yaguané |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 스컹크 seukeongkeu |
| 日本語 | スカンク sukanku |
| 中文 | 臭鼬 chòuyòu |
| हिन्दी | स्कंक skaṅk |
| Kiswahili | kinyegere |
| Português | cangambá, gambá, doninha-fedorenta |
| Français | mouffette, sconse, putois |
| Deutsch | Stinktier, Skunk |
| Italiano | moffetta, puzzola |
| Ελληνικά | μεφίτιδα mefítida, αγριοκούναβο agriokoúnavo |
| Română | sconcs |
| Русский | скунс skuns, воню́чка vonjúčka |
| Tiếng Việt | chồn hôi |
| العربية | ظَرِبَان ẓaribān |
| עברית | בּוֹאֵשׁ boésh |
noun despicable person
| Português | camelo |
|---|---|
| Français | salaud, mufle, canaille |
| Русский | подле́ц podléc, негодя́й negodjáj, мерза́вец merzávec |
noun walkover victory
| Italiano | cappotto |
|---|
Talk about this word "skunk." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/skunk. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. skunk. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/skunk "skunk." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/skunk.Cite this
@misc{skunk_2026,
title = {skunk},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/skunk},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
