Meaning of "skunk" in the English dictionary

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD SKUNK

From Algonquian; compare Abnaki segākw skunk.

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF SKUNK

skunk  [skʌŋk]

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF SKUNK

Skunk is a verb and can also act as a noun.

A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb skunk in English.

WHAT DOES SKUNK MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Skunk

Skunks are mammals known for their ability to spray a liquid with a strong odor. Different species of skunk vary in appearance from black-and-white to brown or cream colored, but all have warning coloration.

Definition of skunk in the English dictionary

The first definition of skunk in the dictionary is any of various American musteline mammals of the subfamily Mephitinae, esp Mephitis mephitis, typically having a black and white coat and bushy tail: they eject an unpleasant-smelling fluid from the anal gland when attacked. Other definition of skunk is a despicable person. Skunk is also a strain of cannabis smoked for its exceptionally powerful psychoactive properties.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO SKUNK

PRESENT

Present

I skunk

you skunk

he/she/it skunks

we skunk

you skunk

they skunk

Present continuous

I am skunking

you are skunking

he/she/it is skunking

we are skunking

you are skunking

they are skunking

Present perfect

I have skunked

you have skunked

he/she/it has skunked

we have skunked

you have skunked

they have skunked

Present perfect continuous

I have been skunking

you have been skunking

he/she/it has been skunking

we have been skunking

you have been skunking

they have been skunking

Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past

I skunked

you skunked

he/she/it skunked

we skunked

you skunked

they skunked

Past continuous

I was skunking

you were skunking

he/she/it was skunking

we were skunking

you were skunking

they were skunking

Past perfect

I had skunked

you had skunked

he/she/it had skunked

we had skunked

you had skunked

they had skunked

Past perfect continuous

I had been skunking

you had been skunking

he/she/it had been skunking

we had been skunking

you had been skunking

they had been skunking

Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future

I will skunk

you will skunk

he/she/it will skunk

we will skunk

you will skunk

they will skunk

Future continuous

I will be skunking

you will be skunking

he/she/it will be skunking

we will be skunking

you will be skunking

they will be skunking

Future perfect

I will have skunked

you will have skunked

he/she/it will have skunked

we will have skunked

you will have skunked

they will have skunked

Future perfect continuous

I will have been skunking

you will have been skunking

he/she/it will have been skunking

we will have been skunking

you will have been skunking

they will have been skunking

The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional

I would skunk

you would skunk

he/she/it would skunk

we would skunk

you would skunk

they would skunk

Conditional continuous

I would be skunking

you would be skunking

he/she/it would be skunking

we would be skunking

you would be skunking

they would be skunking

Conditional perfect

I would have skunk

you would have skunk

he/she/it would have skunk

we would have skunk

you would have skunk

they would have skunk

Conditional perfect continuous

I would have been skunking

you would have been skunking

he/she/it would have been skunking

we would have been skunking

you would have been skunking

they would have been skunking

Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative

you skunk
we let´s skunk
you skunk

The imperative is used to form commands or requests.

NONFINITE VERB FORMS

Infinitive

to skunk

Past participle

skunked

Present Participle

skunking

Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

TRANSLATION OF SKUNK

Find out the translation of skunk to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of skunk from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «skunk» in English.

• Translator English - Chinese: 臭鼬
• Translator English - Spanish: skunk
• English: skunk
• Translator English - Hindi: बदमाश
• Translator English - Arabic: الظربان
• Translator English - Russian: скунс
• Translator English - Portuguese: skunk
• Translator English - Bengali: দিতে না পারা
• Translator English - French: mouffette
• Translator English - Malay: Skunk
• Translator English - German: Stinktier
• Translator English - Japanese: スカンク
• Translator English - Korean: 스컹크
• Translator English - Javanese: Skunk
• Translator English - Vietnamese: người đê tiện
• Translator English - Tamil: ஸ்குங்
• Translator English - Marathi: स्कंक
• Translator English - Turkish: kokarca
• Translator English - Italian: puzzola
• Translator English - Polish: skunks
• Translator English - Ukrainian: скунс
• Translator English - Romanian: sconcs
• Translator English - Greek: παλιάνθρωπος
• Translator English - Afrikaans: muishond
• Translator English - Swedish: skunk
• Translator English - Norwegian: skunk

7 QUOTES WITH «SKUNK»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word skunk.

1

Lloyd Doggett

Sometimes when you get in a fight with a skunk, you can't tell who started it.

2

Alexander Henry

It may be that which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet,' but I should be loath to see a rose on a maiden's breast substituted by a flower, however beautiful and fragrant it might be, that is went by the name of the skunk lily.

3

Dustin Lynch

I love the smell of skunks. Driving down a back road and you smell a skunk that's sprayed or been hit. I love that. It reminds me of home.

4

Patrick Murray

The only difference between a dead skunk lying in the road and a dead lawyer lying in the road is that there are skid marks around the skunk.

5

Ken Starr

You're making me feel like a skunk at the garden party.

6

Rebecca West

It is sometimes very hard to tell the difference between history and the smell of skunk.

7

Juan Williams

The power of the silent filibuster to distort Senate politics is now accepted on Capitol Hill and by the press as normal and not worth mentioning. Let me be the skunk at this political garden party and say this stinks. Representative government was not designed to work this way by the Founding Fathers.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «SKUNK»

Discover the use of skunk in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to skunk and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years of Lockheed

Here are up-close portraits of the maverick band of scientists and engineers who made the Skunk Works so renowned.

Ben R. Rich, Leo Janos, 2013

Dunk skunk

Sport actions rhyme with the names of animals who love to play, such as Goal Mole, Dunk Skunk, and Hurdle Turtle.

Michael Rex, 2005

A Whiff of Pine, a Hint of Skunk: A Forest of Poems

Warning: Deborah Ruddell's quirky cast of animal characters and Joan Rankin's deliciously daffy pictures will cause giggles. The woods have never been so much fun!

Deborah Ruddell, 2011

Skinning the Skunk - Facing Zimbabwean Futures

Skinning the Skunk refers to a saying in Shona: kuvhiya kadembo. The Zimbabwean writer Stanley Nyamfukudza uses it here to illustrate how important problems, like the legacy of violence, are avoided in Zimbabwean public discussion.

Mai Palmberg, Ranka Primorac, 2005

Skilda the Skunk

Skilda the skunk learns to enjoy the world that God created and how each animal was created with unique abilities to protect them.

Becca Lee, 2011

The Adventures of Jimmy Skunk

Jimmy Skunk has a long, hard day but comes out the winner in this captivating tale that tells how Reddy Fox is tricked into doing something he never intended to do and how a mischievous Peter Rabbit gets his comeuppance for playing nasty ...

Thornton W. Burgess, 2012

Skunk: a life

Novel set in Russian North. Story of young man "Skunk", whose childish experiences of life in the Russia North are degraded and criminal, and yet who has instinct for moral and religious values which makes his life into a quest.

Petr Aleshkovskiĭ, 1997

Skunk Girl

If Nina Khan were to rate herself on the unofficial Pakistani prestige point system – the one she’s sure all the aunties and uncles use to determine the most attractive marriage prospects for their children – her scoring might go ...

Sheba Karim, 2009

Lockheed Secret Projects : Inside the Skunk Works

The aerodynamic, thermodynamic, propulsion, and stability-and-control challenges posed by aircraft like the F-117A and DarkStar are substantial, and Skunk Works maintains a staff of specialists in these areas. Complete physical and virtual ...

Dennis R. Jenkins

The Adventures of Sammy the Skunk: Book 1

What can Sammy do? These are only seven of the twelve situations where Sammy helps his friends. Life lessons are written for each of the twelve stories.

Adele A. Roberts, 2011

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «SKUNK»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term skunk is used in the context of the following news items.

Grand Canyon biologist hopes to document elusive skunk

A biologist has installed more than two dozen motion-sensing cameras along a 50-mile stretch of the Grand Canyon in pursuit of images of an elusive skunk ... «azcentral.com, Jul 15»

Skunk, groundhog blamed for vandalism at Maine cemetery

A skunk and a groundhog have caused damage to three flat stone markers at a cemetery in Roxbury, a town with a population of fewer than 400 residents. «Yahoo News UK, May 15»

Fifteen arrests in UK and Italy over 'skunk' cannabis

Fifteen people have been arrested as part of an international investigation into the supply of 'skunk' cannabis into Northern Ireland. Officers recovered £800,000 ... «BBC News, Mar 15»

Skunk found in Williamson County tests positive for rabies

According to Laura Chavarria, director of the Williamson County Animal Center, a Brentwood family's two dogs attacked the skunk on their property on March 12. «WSMV Nashville, Mar 15»

Two Dead Skunks Found on Telephone Pole With "Obama Stinks …

Police in Connecticut are investigating after two dead skunks were found on a telephone pole that had a sign attached to it reading "Obama Stinks." Marc Santia ... «NBC New York, Mar 15»

BBC's Jennie Bond cannot eat enough grapes after smoking skunk

Upper-crust BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond gets blitzed on skunk for a documentary – and reveals an alarming lust for vine fruit. Bond, 64, giggles, ”Do I ... «Metro, Mar 15»

News anchor Jon Snow describes his time high on skunk

He said: "I knew within five minutes, or so, of taking the first two balloons, that I had taken skunk. What was happening to me outstripped anything I have ever ... «Telegraph.co.uk, Feb 15»

'Skunk' linked to increased risk of psychosis

A new study published in The Lancet Psychiatry claims smoking high-potency "skunk-like" cannabis may be associated with up to a fivefold increased risk of ... «Medical News Today, Feb 15»

A Quarter of New Psychotic Disorders Linked to 'Skunk' Cannabis …

Researchers from King's College London found smokers of super-strength cannabis, colloquially known as skunk, were three times as likely to develop ... «TIME, Feb 15»

Skunk mating season stinks

Skunks are skulking around and spraying more than usual. Their increased activity results in a spike of calls to local wildlife control experts and, sadly, more ... «San Jose Mercury News, Jan 15»