sky

• skie (obsolete)

From Middle English sky, from Old Norse ský (“cloud”), from Proto-Germanic *skiwją, *skiwô (“cloud, cloud cover, haze”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kew- (“to cover, hide, cloud”). Cognate with Old English scēo (“cloud”), Old Saxon scio, skio, skeo (“light cloud cover”), Danish, Swedish and Norwegian Bokmål sky (“cloud”), Old Irish cēo (“sky”), Irish ceo (“mist, fog”). Also related to Old English scūa (“shadow, darkness”), Latin obscūrus (“dark, shadowy”), Sanskrit स्कुनाति (skunā́ti, “he covers”). Partially displaced Middle English heven, (from Old English heofon) (whence English heaven). Compare German Himmel and Dutch hemel. See also English hide, hut, house, hose, shoe.

• IPA^(key): /skaɪ/, enPR: skī

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• Rhymes: -aɪ
• Homophones: Sky, Skye

sky (plural skies)

1. The atmosphere above a given point, especially as visible from the ground during the day.

   That year, a meteor fell from the sky.

2. The part of the sky which can be seen from a specific place or at a specific time; its condition, climate etc.

   I lay back under a warm Texas sky.

   We're not sure how long the cloudy skies will last.

   • 1908, W[illiam] B[lair] M[orton] Ferguson, chapter IV, in Zollenstein, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, OCLC 731476803:

     So this was my future home, I thought! […] Backed by towering hills, the but faintly discernible purple line of the French boundary off to the southwest, a sky of palest Gobelin flecked with fat, fleecy little clouds, it in truth looked a dear little city; the city of one's dreams.

   • 1914, Louis Joseph Vance, chapter II, in Nobody, New York, N.Y.: George H[enry] Doran Company, published 1915, OCLC 40817384:

     She wakened in sharp panic, bewildered by the grotesquerie of some half-remembered dream in contrast with the harshness of inclement fact, drowsily realising that since she had fallen asleep it had come on to rain smartly out of a shrouded sky.

3. Heaven.

   This mortal has incurred the wrath of the skies.

4. Ellipsis of sky blue
5. (colloquial, dated) In an art gallery, the upper rows of pictures that cannot easily be seen.
6. (obsolete) A cloud.

Usually the word can be used correctly in either the singular or plural form, but the plural is now mainly poetic.

• firmament
• heaven
• lift

• skylark
• the sky's the limit
• reach for the sky

sky (third-person singular simple present skies, present participle skying, simple past and past participle skied or skyed)

1. (sports) To hit, kick or throw (a ball) extremely high.
   • 2009 September 8, “Seattle Mariners at Los Angeles Angels: 09/08 game thread”, in Seattle Times‎:

     Hernandez walked the bases loaded, then fell behind 3-1 in the count to Bobby Abreu, who then skied the next pitch to left for a sacrifice fly.

   • 2011 January 22, Ian Hughes, “Arsenal 3 - 0 Wigan”, in BBC‎:

     Van Persie skied a penalty, conceded by Gary Caldwell who was sent off, and also hit the post before scoring his third with a shot at the near post.

2. (sports) To clear (a hurdle, high jump bar, etc.) by a large margin.
3. (colloquial, dated) To hang (a picture on exhibition) near the top of a wall, where it cannot be well seen.
   • The Century

     Brother Academicians who skied his pictures.

4. (colloquial) To drink something from a container without one's lips touching the container.

• KYS, YKS, Yks., kys

Possibly from Middle Low German schūwe, schū.

sky (neuter sky, plural and definite singular attributive sky)

1. shy

• bly
• genert

From Old Norse ský, from Proto-Germanic *skiwją (“cloud, cloud cover”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kew- (“to cover, conceal”).

sky c (singular definite skyen, plural indefinite skyer)

1. cloud

From French jus, from Latin ius (“gravy, broth, sauce”).

sky c (singular definite skyen, not used in plural form)

1. gravy, stock (a kind of soup)
2. jelly (made of gravy)

Possibly from Middle Low German schūwen.

sky (imperative sky, present skyr or skyer, past skyede, past participle skyet)

1. To shun

• “sky” in Den Danske Ordbog
• “sky,2” in Den Danske Ordbog
• “sky,3” in Den Danske Ordbog
• “sky,4” in Den Danske Ordbog

From Middle Low German schuwe

sky (neuter singular sky, definite singular and plural sky or skye, comparative skyere, indefinite superlative skyest, definite superlative skyeste)

1. shy

• blyg
• sjenert

From Old Norse ský, from Proto-Germanic *skiwją (“cloud, cloud cover”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kew- (“to cover, conceal”).

sky f or m (definite singular skya or skyen, indefinite plural skyer, definite plural skyene)

1. a cloud

Possibly from Middle Low German schuwen

sky (imperative sky, present tense skyr, simple past skydde, past participle skydd, present participle skyende)

1. to avoid, shun

• avsky

• “sky” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

• IPA^(key): /ʃyː/

From Middle Low German schuwe

sky (neuter singular sky, definite singular and plural sky or skye, comparative skyare, indefinite superlative skyast, definite superlative skyaste)

1. shy

From Old Norse ský. Akin to English sky.

sky f (definite singular skya, indefinite plural skyer, definite plural skyene)

1. a cloud

Possibly from Middle Low German schuwen

sky (present tense skyr, past tense skydde, past participle skydd or skytt, passive infinitive skyast, present participle skyande, imperative sky)

1. to avoid, shun

• avsky

• “sky” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

From Old Norse ský, from Proto-Germanic *skiwją.

skȳ n

1. cloud
2. sky

• Swedish: sky

From Old Norse ský.

• IPA^(key): [skaɪ]

sky (plural skies)

1. sky

   It's a fair braw sky we'v got the nicht. It's quite a beautiful sky we've got tonight.

2. daylight (especially at dawn)

   A wis up afore the sky. I was up before sunrise.

3. skyline, outline against the sky (especially of a hill)

   He saw the sky o a hill awa tae the west. He saw the outline of a hill in the west.

• sky laverock
• sky-goat
• skybrek
• skysettin
• tuith in the sky

sky (third-person singular present skies, present participle skies, past skyin, past participle skiet)

1. (of weather) to clear up
2. to shade the eyes with the hand (so as to see better)
3. to hold up to the light and examine

• IPA^(key): /ɧyː/

• audio

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From Old Swedish skȳ, from Old Norse ský, from Proto-Germanic *skiwją, compare English sky.

sky

1. (countable) heaven
2. (countable) sky
3. (countable) cloud

From the French jus.

sky

1. (uncountable, cooking) The liquid that remains in a frying pan after the fried meat is ready.

From Middle Low German schǖwen.

sky

1. avoid due to fear or disgust, shun