skene 
5668 
sketch 
skene, . See 
skeno-. For words so beginning, see sceno-. 
Skenotoca (ske-not'o-ka), H. pi. [NL., < Gr. 
OKjjvi], a tent, + TLKTHLV, Tetmiv, bring forth, roKOf, 
a bringing forth, offspring.] The calyptoblas- 
tic hydromedusans, such as the campanulariau, 
sertularian, and plumularian polyps; the Srrtii- 
laridit in a broad sense ; the Calyptoblasten : op- 
posed to Gymnotoca. Also written Scenotocu. 
skeo, n. See skio. 
skep (skep), w. [Sc.alsosertpe; <ME.skep,skeppe, 
skepe, skeipp (earlier seep, < AS. seep, sciop, a 
basket for grain, rare forms, glossed camera). 
of .Scand. origin, < Icel. skeppa, s 
known in any case; one who will not affirm or skerry (sker'i), . ; pi. skerries (-iz). [< Icel. 
deny anything in regard to reality as opposed 
to appearance. 
He is a scepticke, and dares hardly give credit to his 
senses. Dp. Hall, Characters (1S08), p. 151. (Latham.) 
It may seem a very extravagant attempt of the sceptics 
to destroy reason by argument and ratiocination: yet this 
is the grand scope of all their inquiries and disputes. 
Hume, Human Understanding, xii. 2. 
2. One who doubts or disbelieves the funda- 
mental principles of the Christian religion. 
How many objections would the Infidels and Scepticks 
of our Age have made against such a Message as this to 
Nineveh ! Stillinyjleet, Sermons, II. iv. 
sker, a skerry, isolated rock in the sea, = Sw. 
sk(ir= Dan. skjeer: see scar?.] 1. A rocky isle ; 
an insulated rock; a reef. [Scotch.] 
Loudly through the wide-flung door 
Came the roar 
Of the sea upon the Skerry. 
Lony/cllom, Saga of King Olaf, The Skerry of Shrieks, 1. 9. 
2. A loose angular fragment of rock ; rubble ; 
slither; ratchel. [Prov. Eng.] 
In working marls, great trouble is experienced from 
skerry or impure limestone, which abounds in marl. 
C. T. Davis, Bricks and Tiles, p. 55. 
Sketch (skech), . [Formerly schetse (the term. 
tkjappa = Sw. v /7 ... , v ^.^. 
skappa = Dan. skjxppe, a bushel ; cf. OS. scaf 3. [cap.] An adherent of a philosophical school being later conformed to"^. analogies) T D' 
= LG. schapp, a chest, cupboard, = OHG. scaf, in ancient Greece. The first group of this school con- schets = G. skizze = Dan. skizze = Sw eJciss = 
sisted of Pyrrho and his immediate followers (see Pyr- F esauittie 8r> e^fiuici-) nil ( It wJU*i 
rtoiife); the second group formed the so-called Middle ' ." ~ .? P- MS, ail <, It. 6P WO, 
Academy, less radical than Pyrrho ; and the third group 
, . , 
scaph, MHG.scftd/, a vessel, a liquid measure, G. 
schaff (cf . OS. scanil = D. scJiepel = MLG. sche- 
draft of a thing, < L. srln ilium, a thing made 
yirT <ja ^*- sce ffl l > M-HW- W. scnepel, a Dusnei.) ; (.*nesidemus in the first ceniury, Sextus, etc.) "returned hastily, < sehedivs, hastily made, < Gr. axettof. 
< ML. seapum, L. scapitim, scaphium, < Gr. ana.- in part to the doctrines of Pyrrho. Ueberweg. sudden, offhand, also near, close to < o^oWv 
,,*l ritrn *m-m mun n i. jr 7 i, i. i\ 
pel = OHG. sceffil, MHG. G. SCheffel, a bushel) ; 
4. One who doubts concerning the truth of 
any particular proposition ; one who has a ten- 
dency to question the virtue and integrity of 
iptov, a drinking- vessel, < o-Kd^of," a hollow vessel: 
seescop/w.] 1. A vessel of wood, wickerwork, 
etc., used especially as a receptacle for grain ; 
hence, a basket, varying in size, shape, mate- most persons. 
rial, or use, according to locality. Whatever sceptic could ii: 
"Leu vs snmquat o thi aede, 
Was neuer ar sua mikel nede, 
Len vs sumquat wit thi seep." 
"Isal yow leue," than said loseph. 
Cursor Mundi (MS. Cotton, ed. Morris), I. 4741. 
A bettir crafte is for this besinesse 
Lette make a skeppe of twygge a foote in brede. 
Palladius, Husbondrie (E. '. 
aquire for, 
For every why he had a wherefore. 
S. Butler, Hudibras, I. i. 131. 
= Syn. 2. Unbeliever, Free-thinker, etc. See infidel. 
skeptical, sceptical (skep'ti-kal), o. [< skep- 
1. Pertaining to, characteristic of , 
luuuau. 
( + -al.] 
near, hard by; cf. oxroif, habit, state, < .. 
retentive, < 2a aor. inf. oxtiv, t%" v , hold: see 
scheme.] 1. A brief, slight, or hasty delinea- 
tion ; a rapid or offhand presentation of the es- 
sential facts of anything; a rough draft; an 
outline : as, in literature, the sketch of an event, 
a character, or a career. 
The first schetse of a comedy, called "The Paradox." 
Dr. Pope, Life of Bp. Ward (1697), p. 149. (Latham.) 
ticism or univ.ersal doubt; imbued with or 
marked by a disposition to question the possi- 
bility of real knowledge. 
. E. T. S.), p. 68. 
The skeps, and baskets, and three-legged stools were all 
cleared away. Mrs. Gaskell, Sylvia's Lovers, ii. 
In Sussex a skep is a broad, flat basket of wood. 
N. and Q., 7th ser., VI. 298. . . 
am,,, , , . , , - ness of being nothing, until hunger or some other pain 
. The amount contained in a skep : used for- convince him of the contrary. 
merly as a specific measure of capacity. Locke, Human Understanding, IV. x. 2. 
A skeppe of palme thenne after to surtray is, The plausibility of Hume's sceptical treatment of the 
This wyne v pounde of fyne hony therto objective or thinking consciousness really depends on 
Ystamped wel let mynge, and it is doo. his extravagant concessions to the subjective or sensitive 
Pattadius, Husbondrie (E. E. T. S.X p. 100. consciousness. E. Caird, Philos. of Kant, p. 71 
A Skeppe, a measure of come. 
Levins, Manip. Vocab. (1570), p. 70. 
Skep is familiar to me as a West Biding word. . . . 
There was the phrase " Bring me a skep of coal." The 
coal-bucket went by the name of skep, whatever (in capa- 
city] it contained. JIT. and Q., 7th ser., VI. 298. 
3. A vehicle consisting of a large wicker bas- 
ket mounted on wheels, used to convey cops, 
If any one pretends to be io sceptical ta to deny his own 
existence, . . . let him for me enjoy his beloved happl- 
2. Making, involving, or characterizing dis- 
belief in the principles of religion. 
erto have been rather Sketches, they say, than accurate 
and exact Plans. T. Hollis, in Ellis s Lit. Letters, p. 380. 
Boyish histories 
Of battle, bold adventure, . . . and true love 
Crown'd after trial ; sketches rude and faint, 
But where a passion yet unborn perhaps 
Lay hidden. Tennyson, Aylmer's Field. 
2. In art : (n) The first suggestive embodiment 
of an artist's idea as expressed on canvas, or 
on paper, or in the clay model, upon which his 
more finished performance is to be elaborated 
or built up. (6) A slight transcript from na- 
ture of the human figure, or of any object, 
. , . . 
made in crayon or chalk with simple shading, 
The sceptuxd system subvert, the whole foundation of or - nllo i .,_. ;, onWa fal , ;,,, S 
morals. 
. Hall. 
or any rough draft in colors, taken with the 
object of securing for the artist the materials 
3-r-.. , i. . . , .M . . .. . wwjcvu \JL DmtuuiM J.UI tiie uniM uiu iijclll.'ri<tis 
Disbelieving; mistrustful; doubting: as, a f or a finished picture; a design in outline; a 
AKpnnral smilp. j.i. * 
skeptical smile. 
etc., about a factory. 4. A small wooden or 
metal utensil used for taking up yeast. Haiti- 
well. 5. A beehive made of straw or wicker- 
work. 
The first swarm [of bees] set off sune in the morning. 
Captain Lawton entertained a profound respect for the 
surgical abilities of his comrade, but was very sceptical on 
the subject of administering internally for the allings of 
the human frame. Cooper, The Spy, ix. 
Skeptical school. See school i . Skeptical suspension 
Of judgment. Seecritical suspension of judgment, under 
ritical. 
But I am thinking they are settled in their skeps for the skeptically, Sceptically (skep'ti-kal-i), adv. In 
Scott, Hob Roy, xvn. a s ^ e pticaVmanner, in any sense of tl 
delineated memorandum; a slight delineation 
or indication of an artist's thought, invention, 
or recollection. 
This plan is not perhaps in all respects so accurate as 
might be wished, it being composed from the memoran- 
dums and rude sketches of the master and surgeon, who 
were not, I presume, the ablest draughtsmen. 
Annan, Voyages, ii. 3. 
It is usual, first, to hive the swarm in an old-fashioned 
straw skep. Encyc. Brit., III. 501. 
[Prov. Eng. and Scotch in all uses.] 
skepful (skep'ful), . [< skep + -fvl.'] The 
3. A short and slightly constructed play or lit- 
erary composition : as, "sketches by Boz." 
the word ; 
with skepticism. 
skepticalness, scepticalness (skep'ti-kal-nes), 
n. Skeptical character or state; doubt; pro- 
- , * fession of doubt. Fuller, Serm. of Assurance, 
amount contained in a skep, in any sense of p. 4. 
the word. [Prov. Eug. and Scotch.] skepticism, scepticism (skep'ti-sizm),w. [=F. 4 - In 'C- () A short composition consist- 
Whytba ' lad8 " " U ev y mor in g by the skeji- seepticisme = Sp. esceptielxmo = Pg. scepticismo " nf a slnorlfi "* - " oaliH oitho,. f T 
We always did a laughable sketch entitled " Billy Button's 
Ride to Brentford," and I used to be Jeremiah Stitchem, a 
servant of Billy Button's, that comes for a "sitiation." 
Mayhem, London Labour and London Poor, in. 1S2. 
ing of a single movement : so called either from 
doubt ; skeptical philosophy. 
f vsuAiig V/a. V/JJO T U.V i ( " 1 1 ' M -^ L11O POSSlOlllty Ul ~jf ^ *7 I"" ----'*. 
knowledge of reality; the systematic doubt ?ry memoranda made by a composer with the 
It. scettico, < L. 'scepticus, only in pi. Sceptici, 
the sect of Skeptics (cf. D. sceptisch = G. 
skeptisch = Sw. Dan. skeptisk, a., D. sceptikvs, 
G. Sw. Dan. skeptiker, n.), < Gr. <nce;rn*df, 
thoughtful, inquiring, ^KCTrriKoi, pi., the Skep- 
tics, followers of Pyrrho, < aKeirreaOcu, consider, 
cf. aKoxsiv, view, examine, < / O-KCTT, / O-KOJT, a 
transposed form of / OTT, = L. specere, look 
at, view, = OHG. spehon, MHG. spehen, G. spa- 
lien, look at, spy, whence ult. E. spy: see spe- 
cies, spectacle, etc., and spy. From the same ieanrngtowarVeiHier^deo"an"questio'n; complete skep^ 
Gr. verb is ult. E. scope 3 .] I. n. Same as skep- tic ' Bnl about everything. See Pyrrhonism. 
tirnl Skepticize, scepticize (skep'ti-siz), v. i. ; pret. 
wise intended, are, in reality, merely sceptical, appears 
from this, that they admit of no answer, and produce no 
conviction. Their only effect is to cause that momentary 
amazement and irresolution and confusion which is the 
result of scepticism. . . 
Hume, Human Understanding, xii. 1, note. Kan, etc. See outline. 
Scepticism had been born into the world, almost more Sketch (skech), v. [= D. scltet.-->n = G. skiz- 
hateful than heresy, because it had the manners of good zieren = Dan. skissere ; from the noun.] I. 
5. In com., a description, sent at regular in- 
tr-rvilu tr> rho nnnaiinim- nf ( > IHnHc nf r,r,^,Tc 
gnor, ol 
sold bv a commission house id the terms of 
sale. = gyn. 1. Skeleton, plot, plan.- 1 and 2. Delinea- 
. 
trans. 1. To present the essential facts of, with 
omission of details; outline briefly or slightly; 
j . Jt J. ! 1J 
society and contented itself with a smile, a shrug, an al- 
most imperceptible lift of the eyebrow. 
I, 7 -f- ,_.-,,- Lowell, Among ray Books, 1st ser., p. 132. . - -< 
hen, look at, spy, whence ult. E. spy : see spe- Absolute or Pyrrhonic skepticism the absence of any descrlb f ? or de P lct m a general, incomplete, and 
CIP.S. Rnf>.P.Tfl/>lJ>. Afrt ar\i\ ont 1.'..,.,., +V * ~ 1 I . J ..Ji.1 u_ _* , . ,"*V SUgg<?StlV6 WftV 
I must 
ideas 
All knowing ages being naturally skeptick, and not at n dpp. skepticized, scepticized, ppr. skepticizing, 
all bigotted : which, if I am not much deceived, is the scepticizing . [< skeptic + -ize.~\ To act the 
proper character of our own, Dryden, Lucian. skeptic ; doubt ; profess to doubt of everything. 
IE. n. 1. One who suspends his judgment, You can afford to seepticizc where no one else will so 
and holds that the known facts do not warrant "men as hesitate. Shaftesbury. 
a conclusion concerning a given fundamental skeret, a. and rfr. A Middle English form of 
question ; a thinker distinguished forthe length sheer 1 . 
to which he carries his doubts; also, one who skerling (sker'ling), n. A smolt, or young sal- 
holds that the real truth of things cannot be mon of the first year. [Local, Eng.] 
. leave him [the reader] to contemplate those 
I h ave only sketched, and which every man 
must finish for himself. 
Dryden, Parallel of Poetry and Painting. 
2, Specifically, iu art, to draw or portray in 
outline, or with partial shading; make a rough 
or slight draft of, especially as a memorandum 
for more finished work : as, to .tketrti a group 
or a landscape. 
The method of Rubens was to sketch his composition in 
colours, with all the parts more determined than sketches 
generally are ; from this sketch his scholars advanced the 
