Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

skellum

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables: skel-lum
IPA

13

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

British usage; Obsolete

noun

Example Sentences

"Dr. Creeton, [Robert Creighton] the Scotchman, […] ripped up Hugh Peters (calling him the execrable skellum), his preaching and stirring up the maids of the city to bring in their bodkins and thimbles."
"O Tam! had'st thou but been sae wise, As taen thy ain wife Kate's advice! She tauld thee weel thou was a skellum, A blethering, blustering, drunken blellum; That frae November till October, Ae market-day thou was na sober."

Etymology

From Danish skælm, from Middle Low German; cognate to German Schelm.

Origin

Source language: Afrikaans

Word Breakdown

Root: skelm, Schelm, -

Usage

British usage
Obsolete

Inflected Forms

skellums (plural)

Frequently Paired Words

schellum

Rhymes With

antebellum cerebellum vellum status quo ante bellum flagellum labellum scutellum postbellum flabellum clitellum capitellum haustellum

Questions

What does skellum mean?: A scoundrel.
Where does skellum come from?: It is traced to Afrikaans.

How to pronounce skellum

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “skellum”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
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Repeat and practice — Say “skellum” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.