Dictionary

1skunk

noun \ˈskəŋk\

: a small black-and-white North American animal that produces a very strong and unpleasant smell when it is frightened or in danger

: a very bad or unpleasant person

plural skunks also skunk

Full Definition of SKUNK

1
a :  any of various common omnivorous black-and-white New World mammals (especially genus Mephitis) of the weasel family that have a pair of perineal glands from which a secretion of pungent and offensive odor is ejected
b :  the fur of a skunk
2
:  an obnoxious or disliked person
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Illustration of SKUNK

Origin of SKUNK

earlier squuncke, from a Massachusett reflex of Algonquian *šeka·kwa, from šek- urinate + -a·kw fox, fox-like animal
First Known Use: 1634

Related to SKUNK

Other Mammals Terms

dormouse, dugong, gibbon, grimalkin, sable, stoat, ungulate, vole

2skunk

transitive verb

Skunk

geographical name

Definition of SKUNK

river 264 miles (425 kilometers) SE Iowa flowing SE into Mississippi River
SKUNK Defined for Kids

skunk

noun \ˈskəŋk\

Definition of SKUNK for Kids

:  a North American animal related to the weasels that has coarse black-and-white fur and can squirt out a fluid with a very unpleasant smell
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