Skinned

/skɪnd/ verb, adjective

Definition

Removed skin from something; or covered with skin of a particular type (like in 'thin-skinned').

Etymology

From Old Norse 'skinn' meaning 'skin.' The verb form developed in English from the noun, with '-ed' as the past tense suffix. Originally meant to strip hides from hunted animals.

Kelly Says

When we say someone is 'thin-skinned,' we're literally using the same word medieval hunters used—language lets us talk about emotional sensitivity using animal butchering vocabulary, which is kind of dark when you think about it!

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