Skunk

How to spell skunk

5 letters · 1 syllable

How to pronounce skunk

What does skunk mean?

1. nounA small North American mammal with black and white fur that sprays a strong, foul-smelling liquid when threatened.
2. verbTo defeat an opponent so decisively that they fail to score any points.

Skunk in a sentence

• noun

  A skunk wandered across the campsite after dark.

• verb

  The home team threatened to skunk their rivals in the final.

• noun

  The dog got sprayed by a skunk and reeked for days.

• verb

  He could skunk his brother at table tennis without breaking a sweat.

Where does skunk come from?

Language of origin: Other

Skunk comes from a word in the Algonquian languages of New England, most likely the Massachusett or Abenaki term often written as 'squnck' or 'seganku', which described the small black and white animal famous for its foul defensive spray. The original word is thought to combine elements meaning roughly 'urinating' or 'spraying' and 'fox' or fox-like animal, a fitting label for the creature's notorious habit. English-speaking colonists in North America borrowed it in the 1630s, and early settlers wrote it in many spellings before 'skunk' settled into place. Because it entered English directly from a Native American language rather than through Latin or French, the spelling simply mirrors the sound, which is why the blunt 'sk-' opening and the '-unk' ending feel so phonetic. The same animal later lent its name to slang senses, including a heavily scented variety of cannabis and the act of defeating an opponent so thoroughly they score nothing.

How the word is built

• Single root, no affixes: skunk (an English respelling of an Algonquian word for the animal)