Skin
/skɪn/noun
The outer protective covering of a person or animal.
Did you know?English skin is linked to Old Norse skinn, which originally meant an animal hide or pelt, and the word’s deep Germanic history makes it feel less like a surface and more like a stripped covering.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*(s)keu-
“to cover, wrap, or hide”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*skinną
“hide, pelt”
Old Norse
ON
skinn
“animal hide, pelt”
Old English
OE
scinn
“hide, skin”
Middle English
ME
skyn
“skin, hide”
Modern English
English
skin
“the outer covering of a person or animal”