skittle

/ˈskɪtəl/

skittle means one of the wooden targets used in skittles.

Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, skittle ranks #28,411 of 42,747 for Qualifying.

skittle is pronounced /ˈskɪtəl/.

Etymology

Origin unknown. Perhaps of North Germanic origin, from Old Norse skutill (“bolt, harpoon”), related to skjóta (“to shoot”), but the OED dismisses this connection as conjecture. The Old Norse word is related to Swedish and Danish skyttel (“shuttle, child's toy”). Compare also Old English sċytel (“a dart, bolt”). More at shuttle.

noun

One of the wooden targets used in skittles.

verb

To play skittles.
(with down) To squander one's money.
(sometimes with out) To rapidly bowl out a succession of batsmen.
(sometimes with out) To rapidly bowl out a succession of batsmen.; To defeat easily.
To knock down (skittles).

Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).

Words closest in meaning

By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.

skittles 80% match — A pub game in which a ball is rolled down a wooden alley in order to knock down as many of the nine skittles as possible. vs skittle →
skittleball 78% match — A team sport in which players attempt to knock over the opposing team's skittle by throwing a ball. vs skittle →
skayles 74% match — The game of skittles. vs skittle →
kittlepins 71% match — The game of skittles. vs skittle →
ninepins 70% match — The game of skittles. vs skittle →
ninepin 67% match — The wooden pin used in the game of ninepins; a skittle. vs skittle →
kayle 63% match — A pin used in kayles or skittles. vs skittle →
tenpins 61% match — A game, a form of bowling, played with ten pins as the target. vs skittle →