Word.ws English Dictionary

skainsmate

skainsmate noun: a messmate; a companion.

Noun

skainsmate (plural skainsmates)

  1. (derogatory, nonce-word, obsolete) A messmate; a companion.
  2. (derogatory, nonce-word, obsolete) A prostitute.

Forms of skainsmate

pluralskainsmates

Origin of skainsmate

Etymology and meaning uncertain. Possibly from skean (“sword”) or skein (“quantity of thread”) + -s- + mate (“companion; comrade; colleague”). * Sword could imply a companion in arms or a cutthroat; or it may be a euphemism for penis and hence a sexual companion. * Thread could also mean either a companion in winding thread, possibly a sailor or seamstress, or a sexual metaphor equating sewing with sexual intercourse. Flirt-gill (“promiscuous woman”) in the same passage suggests a sexual interpretation.

Questions about skainsmate

What does skainsmate mean?
Skainsmate means a messmate; a companion.
What part of speech is skainsmate?
Skainsmate is a noun.
What is the plural of skainsmate?
The plural of skainsmate is skainsmates.

Words near skainsmate in the dictionary

  1. Skaifes
  2. skail
  3. skails
  4. skain
  5. skains
  6. skainsmate
  7. skainsmates
  8. skait
  9. skaited
  10. skaiter
  11. skaiters

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: skainsmate (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “skainsmate.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/skainsmate. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.