skeg meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

skeg

noun

/skɛɡ/

Etymology From a dialectal term for a stump, branch, or wooden peg. Compare shaw and Swedish skog.

7 senses

Nautical, Transport A fin-like structure to the rear of the keel of a vessel that supports the rudder and protects a propeller.

Nautical, Transport A similar construction on a boat that acts as a keel.

A fin that serves to stabilize a surfboard.

Australia, Slang A surfer; a person who leads a surfing lifestyle.

Obsolete A sort of wild plum (Prunus spinosa or Prunus domestica subsp. insititia (syn. Prunus institia)).

Some take them for Damascen plums, or rather for Bullois, Skegs, or such like wilde Plums.1601, C[aius] Plinius Secundus [i.e., Pliny the Elder], “[Book II.]”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Historie of the World. Commonly Called, The Naturall Historie of C. Plinius Secundus. […], (please specify |tome=1 or 2), London: […] Adam Islip, →OCLC:

Obsolete A kind of oat.

SKEGS. A kind of oat, sometimes cultivated as a crop in Nottinghamshire. It is the Avena stipiformis of Linnaeus.1842, Cuthbert William Johnson, The farmer's encyclopædia, and dictionary of rural affairs:

Northern England A look or glance.