skank.
A lewd and disreputable person, often female, especially an unattractive person with an air of tawdry promiscuity.
Meaning & usage
A lewd and disreputable person, often female, especially an unattractive person with an air of tawdry promiscuity.
Anything that is particularly foul, unhygienic or unpleasant.
Where this word comes from
Unknown. Perhaps from skag (“unattractive woman”), but the origins of skag are unknown. Compare scold (“troublesome woman”), skeevy (“disgusting”). Attested from the 1960s.
Lewd, vulgar, skanky.
Foul, unhygienic.
Where this word comes from
Unknown. Perhaps from skag (“unattractive woman”), but the origins of skag are unknown. Compare scold (“troublesome woman”), skeevy (“disgusting”). Attested from the 1960s.
A dance performed to ska, dub, or reggae music.
A style of rhythmic guitar strumming in ska, reggae, and punk.
A typical skank guitar rhythm: {\time3/4\tempo4=180\set Staff.midiInstrument=#"electric guitar (muted)"\repeat unfold2{r8a4}\repeat unfold2{r8g4
Where this word comes from
Originally Jamaican, attested from the twentieth century, but earliest source is uncertain. The verb sense be dishonest is evidently older. Perhaps originally onomatopoeic. The dance senses may come from a resemblance to motorcyclists weaving between larger vehicles. Compare skanker.
To dance the skank.
To play guitar with a skank rhythm.
To be dishonest or unreliable, to defraud or deceive, to steal.
Where this word comes from
Originally Jamaican, attested from the twentieth century, but earliest source is uncertain. The verb sense be dishonest is evidently older. Perhaps originally onomatopoeic. The dance senses may come from a resemblance to motorcyclists weaving between larger vehicles. Compare skanker.
The act of cheating a person.
That's not a good deal; it's a skank.
Where this word comes from
Slang word used in Northern England. Unknown. Perhaps from etymology 2, above; attested in West Indian and UK black slang from the twentieth century.
To cheat or betray, especially a friend.
He short-changed a partner, leaving him feeling skanked.
To steal, or otherwise acquire underhandedly.
Where this word comes from
Slang word used in Northern England. Unknown. Perhaps from etymology 2, above; attested in West Indian and UK black slang from the twentieth century.
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Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.