Definition of "skill"

skill¹

/skɪl/

noun
countable and uncountable, plural skills
1. Capacity to do something well; technique, ability. Skills are usually acquired or learned, as opposed to abilities, which are often thought of as innate.
  Quotations
  I have heard the French-man hath good skill in his rapier.
  c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merry Wiues of Windsor”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, [Act II, scene i], page 45
  Orion hit a rabbit once; but though sore wounded it got to the bury, and, struggling in, the arrow caught the side of the hole and was drawn out. Indeed, a nail filed sharp is not of much avail as an arrowhead; you must have it barbed, and that was a little beyond our skill.
  1879, R[ichard] J[efferies], chapter II, in The Amateur Poacher, London: Smith, Elder, & Co., […]
  The skill was not in creating a grid full of words, but in producing clues cryptic enough to baffle the puzzler, yet constructed so honestly that they could be solved by any intelligent person who knew the conventions.
  2013 November 26, Simon Hoggart, “Araucaria's last puzzle: crossword master dies”, in The Guardian Weekly‎, volume 189, number 26, page 43
2. (obsolete) Discrimination; judgment; propriety; reason; cause.
  Quotations
  Him so I sought, and so at last I fowndWhere him that witch had thralled to her will,In chaines of lust and lewde desyres ybowndAnd so transformed from his former skill,That me he knew not, nether his owne ill;
  1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto I”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, page 54
  Methinks I should know you, and know this man;Yet I am doubtful; for I am mainly ignorantWhat place this is; and all the skill I haveRemembers not these garments; nor I know notWhere I did lodge last night. […]
  c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, [Act IV, scene vii]
3. (obsolete) Knowledge; understanding.
  Quotations
  And Howell Dha shall goodly well indewThe salvage minds with skill of just and trew;
  1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto III”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, page 45
  […] This desert soilWants not her hidden lustre, gems and gold;Nor want we skill or art from whence to raiseMagnificence […]
  1667, John Milton, “Book II”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], […]; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873,
  'I kenna whatna man ye are,' he says, 'but ye have the skill of lassies' hearts. Tell me truly, is there no way to win her to common love?'
  1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the Tide
4. (obsolete) Display of art; exercise of ability; contrivance; address.
  Quotations
  Richard was well ſtored with men, the bones; and quickly got money, the ſinews of warre; by a thousand Princely ſkills gathering ſo much coin as if he meant not to return, becauſe looking back would unbowe his reſolution.
  1639, Thomas Fuller, “Richard of England and Philip of France Set Forward to the Holy Land; the Danger of the Interviews of Princes”, in The Historie of the Holy Warre, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire: […] Thomas Buck, one of the printers to the Universitie of Cambridge [and sold by John Williams, London], book III, page 118
adjective
comparative skiller, superlative skillest
1. (UK, slang) Great, excellent.
  Quotations
  Well, unfortunately for you, my dearest Waggipoos, I'm much more skill than you!
  1987 June, Teresa Maughan, “Letters”, in Your Sinclair, number 18
  This game is skill. Remember that because it's going to sound really complicated.
  1991, Wreckers (video game review in Crash issue 88, May 1991)
  And I am skiller than you.
  1999, Andy Smith, “I am well skill”, in alt.digitiser (Usenet)

skill²

/skɪl/

verb
third-person singular simple present skills, present participle skilling, simple past and past participle skilled
1. (transitive) To set apart; separate.
2. (transitive, chiefly dialectal) To discern; have knowledge or understanding; to know how (to).
  Quotations
  I cannot skill of these Thy ways […]
  1633, George Herbert, “Justice”, in The Temple‎
3. (transitive, dialectal, Scotland, Northern England, rare) To know; to understand.
  Quotations
  As for the virginals I have none here that skill of them, except the young lord.
  1613, Breadalbane Letters, Documents
  […] to skill the arts of expressing our mind and imparting our conceptions with advantage, so as to instruct or persuade others […]
  17th century, Isaac Barrow, “On Industry in Our Particular Calling as Scholars,”
4. (intransitive) To have knowledge or comprehension; discern.
5. (intransitive) To have personal or practical knowledge; be versed or practised; be expert or dextrous.
6. (intransitive, archaic) To make a difference; signify; matter.
  Quotations
  So then the whole scripture of God, being true, whence soever this be delivered and gathered, it skilleth not […]
  1592, Richard Turnbull, An Exposition upon the Canonicall Epistle of Saint Jude‎, London: John Windet, Sermon 5, p. 67
  […] I should have given’t you to-day morning, but as a madman’s epistles are no gospels, so it skills not much when they are delivered.
  c. 1601–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Twelfe Night, or What You Will”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, [Act V, scene i]
  What skills it, if a bag of stones or goldAbout thy neck do drown thee?
  1633, George Herbert, “The Church Porch”, in The Temple‎
  But it skills not talking of it.
  1820, Walter Scott, Ivanhoe; a Romance. […], volumes (please specify |volume=I to III), Edinburgh: […] Archibald Constable and Co.; London: Hurst, Robinson, and Co. […]
7. (video games) To spend acquired points in exchange for skills.

Definition of "skill"

skill1

noun

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adjective

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skill2

verb

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skill¹

skill²