different between acquaintance vs skill

English

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman aquaintaunce, aqueintance, Old French acointance (“friendship, familiarity”), from Old French acointer (“to acquaint”). Compare French accointance.

Morphologically acquaint +? -ance.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /??kwe?nt?ns/
• (US) IPA^(key): /??kwe?n.t?ns/

Noun

acquaintance (countable and uncountable, plural acquaintances)

1. (uncountable) A state of being acquainted with a person; originally indicating friendship, intimacy, but now suggesting a slight knowledge less deep than that of friendship; acquaintanceship. [from 12th c.]

   I know of the man; but have no acquaintance with him.

   • 1799, William Jones (translator), Hito'pade'sa, in The Works, Volume 6, page 22:

     Contract no friend?hip, or even acquaintance, with a guileful man : he re?embles a coal, which when hot burneth the hand, and when cold blacketh it.

2. (countable) A person or persons with whom one is acquainted. [from 14th c.]
3. (uncountable) Such people collectively; one's circle of acquaintances (with plural concord). [from 15th c.]
   • 1792, Mary Wollstonecraft, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, Penguin 2004, p. 230:

     Their mother […] was busy in the mean time in keeping up her connections, as she termed a numerous acquaintance, lest her girls should want a proper introduction into the great world.

4. Personal knowledge (with a specific subject etc.). [from 16th c.]

Usage notes

• Synonym notes: The words acquaintance, familiarity, and intimacy now mark different degrees of closeness in social intercourse. Acquaintance arises from occasional intercourse or interaction; as, "our acquaintance has been a brief one". We can speak of a slight or an intimate acquaintance. Familiarity is the result of continued acquaintance. It springs from persons being frequently together, so as to wear off all restraint and reserve; as, "the familiarity of old companions". Intimacy is the result of close connection, and the freest interchange of thought; as, "the intimacy of established friendship".

Synonyms

• familiarity, fellowship, intimacy, knowledge
• See also Thesaurus:acquaintance

Derived terms

• nodding acquaintance
• renew acquaintances

Related terms

• acquaint

Translations

References

• acquaintance in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• acquaintance at OneLook Dictionary Search

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sk?l/
• Rhymes: -?l

Etymology 1

From Middle English skill, skille (also schil, schile), from Old English scille and Old Norse skil (“a distinction, discernment, knowledge”), from Proto-Germanic *skilj? (“separation, limit”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelH- (“to split, cut”). Cognate with Danish skel (“a separation, boundary, divide”), Swedish skäl (“reason”), Dutch verschil (“difference”) and schillen (“to separate the outer layer (schil) from the product”, verb).

Alternative forms

• skil (obsolete)

Noun

skill (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.

   Synonyms: ability, talent; see also Thesaurus:skill
2. (obsolete) Discrimination; judgment; propriety; reason; cause.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, Book II, Hackett, 2006, Canto I, Stanza 54, lines 1-5, p. 21,

     Him so I sought, and so at last I fownd

     Where him that witch had thralled to her will,

     In chaines of lust and lewde desyres ybownd

     And so transformed from his former skill,

     That me he knew not, nether his owne ill;

   • c. 1605, William Shakespeare, King Lear, Act IV, Scene 7,^[2]

     Methinks I should know you, and know this man;

     Yet I am doubtful; for I am mainly ignorant

     What place this is; and all the skill I have

     Remembers not these garments; nor I know not

     Where I did lodge last night. […]

3. (obsolete) Knowledge; understanding.
   • 1590, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, Book III, Hackett, 2006, Canto III, Stanza 45, lines 4-5, p. 62,

     And Howell Dha shall goodly well indew

     The salvage minds with skill of just and trew;

   • 1674, John Milton, Paradise Lost, Book II,^[3]

     […] This desert soil

     Wants not her hidden lustre, gems and gold;

     Nor want we skill or art from whence to raise

     Magnificence […]

4. (obsolete) Display of art; exercise of ability; contrivance; address.
   • 1639, Thomas Fuller, The Historie of the Holy Warre, Book III, Chapter VI,^{[4], [5]}

     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.

Derived terms

• soft skill

Related terms

Translations

Adjective

skill (comparative skiller, superlative skillest)

1. (Britain, slang) Great, excellent. [1980s–1990s]
   • 1987, Teresa Maughan, Letters (in Your Sinclair issue 18, June 1987)

     Well, unfortunately for you, my dearest Waggipoos, I'm much more skill than you!

   • 1991, Wreckers (video game review in Crash issue 88, May 1991)

     This game is skill. Remember that because it's going to sound really complicated.

   • 1999, "Andy Smith", I am well skill (on Internet newsgroup alt.digitiser)

     And I am skiller than you.

Etymology 2

From Middle English skilen (also schillen), partly from Old English scylian, scielian (“to separate, part, divide off”); and partly from Old Norse skilja (“to divide, separate”); both from Proto-Germanic *skil?n?, *skiljan? (“to divide, limit”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kelH- (“to split, cut”). Cognate with Danish skille (“to separate, discard”), Swedish skilja (“to distinguish, differentiate, part”), Icelandic skilja (“to understand”), Low German schelen (“to make a difference; to be squint-eyed”), Dutch schelen (“to make a difference”).

Verb

skill (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).
   • 1633, George Herbert, “Justice,” in The Temple,^[6]

     I cannot skill of these Thy ways […]

3. (transitive, dialectal, Scotland, Northern England, rare) To know; to understand.
   • 1613, Breadalbane Letters and Documents

     As for the virginals I have none here that skill of them, except the young lord.

   • 17th century, Isaac Barrow, “On Industry in Our Particular Calling as Scholars,”

     […] to skill the arts of expressing our mind and imparting our conceptions with advantage, so as to instruct or persuade others […]

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.
   • 1592, Richard Turnbull, An Exposition upon the Canonicall Epistle of Saint Jude, London: John Windet, Sermon 5, p. 67,^[7]

     So then the whole scripture of God, being true, whence soever this be delivered and gathered, it skilleth not […]

   • c. 1599, William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night, Act V, Scene 1,^[8]

     […] 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.

   • 1633, George Herbert, “The Church Porch,” in The Temple,^[9]

     What skills it, if a bag of stones or gold

     About thy neck do drown thee?

   • 1820, Walter Scott, Ivanhoe, Chapter 42,^[10]

     But it skills not talking of it.

7. (video games) To spend acquired points in exchange for skills.

Synonyms

• (separate): split (call management systems)

References

• Skel i “skill” in Ordbog over det danske Sprog

Anagrams

• Kills, kills

Norwegian Bokmål

Verb

skill

1. imperative of skille