Etymology: < early Scandinavian (compare Old Icelandic ský cloud, Norwegian sky cloud, abode of God, Old Swedish, Swedish sky cloud, air (in later use also) sky, abode of God, Old Danish, Danish sky cloud, air, sky, abode of God) < the same early Scandinavian base as Old Icelandic skí cloud (see skew n.¹), itself < the same Germanic base as Old English scēo , probably in sense ‘cloud’ (in an isolated attestation), Old Saxon (perhaps inflected) skion , sceon cloud, cloud cover, clouded sky, and perhaps also (with different ablaut grade: zero-grade) the Germanic forms cited at scug n.¹; perhaps ultimately < the same Indo-European base as classical Latin obscūrus obscure adj. and the Germanic forms cited at schur n. and scum n.In early Middle English form skeis perhaps influenced by skew n.¹ With sense 7 compare earlier sky colour n. In sense 8 short for sky rocket n. 3. In sense 11) perhaps short for sky piece n. at Compounds 3. Apparently attested earlier as a surname: Alexander Skie (1207). In Old English the usual word for the observable expanse above the earth was heaven n., which started gradually to be restricted to religious and figurative uses already in Middle English (compare quot. ?a1475 at sense 1a(a)). Compare also lift n.¹ and welkin n.

Etymology: Probably < the unattested Norn reflex (with loss of the final consonant) of the early Scandinavian word represented by Old Icelandic skeið weaver's rod, spoon, sheath, Faroese skeið spoon, sheath, Norwegian (Nynorsk) skei , skeid weaver's rod, spoon, sheath, threshing stick, crosspiece, board, board fitted to a plough, Old Swedish skedh , sked board, spoon (Swedish sked (also regional skäid , ske , ski ) weaver's rod, spoon, board, (regional) sheath), Old Danish sked , sketh weaver's rod, spoon (Danish ske weaver's rod, spoon, crosspiece, board) < the same Germanic base as sheath n.¹ Compare also Swedish (regional: Jämtland) plogsked board fitted to a plough.

Etymology: Apparently shortened < Volsci ( < classical Latin Volscī ), the name of an ancient people formerly inhabiting the east of Latium (see Volscian n.), these people being contrasted with the Romans, with whom the Westminster pupils identified.Compare:1816 T. Brown World at Westm. 1 34 I presume all my readers have heard of the wars between the Romans and the Volsci... Alluding to the subject of their lessons, the Westminsters assumed the name of Romans, and gave their antagonists that of the Volsci, which, by cacophony being pronounced Volski, soon dropped its first syllable, and in that form has been completely established as one of our expressions.

Etymology: < sky n.¹ Compare earlier skying n.