Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

skunkworks

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.56 in modern English

Syllables: skunkworks
IPA

25

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

1

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A loosely organized research and development team or facility.

Example Sentences

"Not all ideas coming out of the Phillips skunkworks have been success stories, of course. A polyethelene saddle never even made it through the patent process."
"Downing Street is seeking applications for a £135,000-a-year data expert to set up a “skunkworks” in No 10, in the latest evidence of Dominic Cummings’ Whitehall shake-up."

Etymology

From skunk + works, since c. 1943. Skunk Works was the nickname of Lockheed Advanced Development Projects, eventually gaining official recognition. The name is derived from a mysterious, foul-smelling “skonk oil”-brewing facility called the Skonk Works in the comic strip L'il Abner by Al Capp.

Inflected Forms

skunk works (alternative)

Questions

What does skunkworks mean?: A loosely organized research and development team or facility.
Where does skunkworks come from?: From skunk + works, since c. 1943. Skunk Works was the nickname of Lockheed Advanced Development Projects, eventually gaining official recognition. The name is derived from a mysterious, foul-smelling “skonk oil”-brewing facility called the Skonk Works in the comic strip L'il Abner by Al Capp.

How to pronounce skunkworks

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