skill1

[skil] /skɪl/
noun
1.
the ability, coming from one's knowledge, practice, aptitude, etc., to do something well:
Carpentry was one of his many skills.
2.
competent excellence in performance; expertness; dexterity:
The dancers performed with skill.
3.
a craft, trade, or job requiring manual dexterity or special training in which a person has competence and experience:
the skill of cabinetmaking.
4.
Obsolete. understanding; discernment.
5.
Obsolete. reason; cause.
Origin
1125-75; Middle English < Old Norse skil distinction, difference; cognate with Dutch geschil difference, quarrel. See skill2
Synonyms
1. proficiency, facility. 2. deftness, cleverness.
Antonyms
1. inability.

skill2

[skil] /skɪl/
verb (used without object), Archaic.
1.
to matter.
2.
to help; avail.
Origin
1150-1200; Middle English skilien < Old Norse skilja to distinguish, divide, akin to skil (see skill1), Old English scylian to separate, Gothic skilja butcher, Lithuanian skélti to split
Examples from the web for skill
  • They're missing the true nature of skill and talent.
  • Increasing the ability to control attention when you want to is an important skill, and has a place in psychological research.
  • It's a different skill and you have to go back to square one and learn it.
  • The integrity of the product and the skill of the distiller are second to none.
  • So did his skill as a playwright, though none of his dramas survive.
  • Asking others for help to better understand something is an important skill, but so is knowing who to ask.
  • That's a skill, a critical-thinking capacity, which is important no matter what the medium.
  • Eager to secure a foothold and capitalize on low wages and high levels of skill, foreign firms rushed in.
  • As local people develop pride and skill in showing off their locale, tourists get more out of their visit.
  • While hyenas are known as scavengers, they also possess great intelligence and skill on the hunt.
British Dictionary definitions for skill

skill

/skɪl/
noun
1.
special ability in a task, sport, etc, esp ability acquired by training
2.
something, esp a trade or technique, requiring special training or manual proficiency
3.
(obsolete) understanding
Derived Forms
skill-less, skilless, adjective
Word Origin
C12: from Old Norse skil distinction; related to Middle Low German schēle, Middle Dutch geschil difference
Word Origin and History for skill
n.

late 12c., "power of discernment," from Old Norse skil "distinction, ability to make out, discernment, adjustment," related to skilja (v.) "to separate; discern, understand," from Proto-Germanic *skaljo- "divide, separate" (cf. Swedish skäl "reason," Danish skjel "a separation, boundary, limit," Middle Low German schillen "to differ," Middle Low German, Middle Dutch schele "separation, discrimination;" see shell (n.)). Sense of "ability, cleverness" first recorded early 13c.

skill in Technology

A somewhat peculiar blend between Franz-Lisp and C, with a large set of various CAD primitives. It is owned by Cadence Design Systems and has been used in their CAD frameworks since 1985. It's an extension language to the CAD framework (in the same way that Emacs-Lisp extends GNU Emacs), enabling you to automate virtually everything that you can do manually in for example the graphic editor. Skill accepts C-syntax, fun(a b), as well as Lisp syntax, (fun a b), but most users (including Cadence themselves) use the C-style.
[Jonas Jarnestrom ].
(1995-02-14)