# skainsmate

> English word · Noun

## Definitions
1. A messmate; a companion.
2. A prostitute.

## Etymology
Etymology and meaning uncertain. Possibly from skean (“sword”) or skein (“quantity of thread”) + -s- + mate (“companion; comrade; colleague”).
* Sword could imply a companion in arms or a cutthroat; or it may be a euphemism for penis and hence a sexual companion.
* Thread could also mean either a companion in winding thread, possibly a sailor or seamstress, or a sexual metaphor equating sewing with sexual intercourse.
Flirt-gill (“promiscuous woman”) in the same passage suggests a sexual interpretation.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/skainsmate