The skink meaning in English is a type of lizard: a small to medium reptile with smooth, glossy scales, a long body, a thick tail and fairly short legs. If you have seen a shiny brown lizard flash across a garden wall and vanish under a pot, there is a good chance it was a skink.
Skinks form one of the biggest lizard families on Earth, called Scincidae. Researchers count more than 1,700 described species, roughly a quarter of all known lizards, and they live on every continent except Antarctica.
Entry at a glance
Meaning
A smooth-scaled lizard of the family ScincidaePart of speech
Noun (plural: skinks)Pronunciation
SKINK, rhymes with sinkOrigin
Late 1500s, through French from Latin scincus and Greek skinkos, a kind of lizardScientific family
Scincidae; adjective scincid or scincoidClose words
lizard, gecko, reptile, slow worm (a legless lizard, not a skink)Register
Neutral; everyday and scientific
Skink meaning and how to recognise one
Most skinks share a few clear features:
- Glossy, overlapping scales that make the body look polished or even wet.
- A long, rounded body with a neck that is hard to tell apart from the head.
- Short legs compared with many other lizards. In some species the legs are tiny, and a number of skinks have no legs at all, so they look a little like snakes.
- A thick tail that many species can drop to escape a predator and later regrow.
Size varies hugely. The smallest skinks weigh well under a gram, while the largest living species, from Australia and nearby islands, can be longer than your forearm.
Where skinks live and what they eat
Skinks are most varied in Australia, New Guinea, Southeast Asia, Madagascar and parts of Africa, but they also live across the Americas, Europe and South Asia. In India, garden and forest skinks are a common sight on rocks and dry leaves. In the US, the five-lined skink, whose young have bright blue tails, is well known in eastern states.
Many skinks burrow or hide in leaf litter. Most eat insects, spiders, snails and worms, and some larger ones also eat fruit and flowers. About a third of skink species give birth to live young instead of laying eggs, which is unusually high for lizards.
Skink in example sentences
- A skink slipped between the bricks before I could take a photo.
- The science teacher brought a blue-tongued skink to class, and it sat calmly on her arm.
- We found a skink sunning itself on the warm steps of the temple.
- The skink's tail kept wriggling after it broke off, which startled the cat.
- That pet shop sells skinks, but they need warmth and a careful diet.
Skink, gecko and other lizards compared
| Animal | Skin | Typical habits |
|---|---|---|
| Skink | Smooth, shiny scales | On the ground, under leaves, rocks and logs |
| Gecko | Soft, often bumpy skin | Climbs walls with sticky toe pads, often active at night |
| Agama or garden lizard | Rough, spiny scales | Basks openly, often bobs its head |
| Slow worm | Smooth scales, no legs | A legless lizard of a different family |
The quick tip: if the lizard on your ceiling has sticky feet, it is a gecko. If the one in your flowerbed looks polished and stays low, think skink.
Where the word skink comes from
Skink entered English in the late sixteenth century. It came through French from the Latin scincus, which goes back to the Greek skinkos, the name of a lizard found in western Asia and North Africa. Where the Greek word itself came from is not known. In earlier times, dried skinks were sold as a folk medicine, which helped make the name familiar in Europe.
Do not confuse it with Cullen skink, a Scottish soup of smoked fish, potato and onion. That skink is a separate Scots word for a kind of soup, not the lizard.
A skink definition for writers and students
The dictionary definition of skink is simply the lizard, and the word behaves as an ordinary countable noun: a skink, two skinks, a colony of skinks. Common phrases include blue-tongued skink, five-lined skink, sand skink and legless skink. Biologists use the adjective scincid. The word has no common figurative or slang meaning in modern English, so you can use it freely in nature writing and pet care without worrying about double meanings. For more nature words, see biodiversity and adaptation, or browse the everyday vocabulary list for more animals and objects.
Frequently asked questions
What does skink mean, explained for a child?
A skink is a kind of lizard with smooth, shiny scales, a long body and usually short legs. Skinks belong to the family Scincidae, one of the largest groups of lizards in the world.
Are skinks dangerous to people?
No. Skinks are not venomous, and most are shy and harmless. A large one may bite if grabbed, but it is far more likely to run away or hide.
Is a skink a snake?
No, a skink is a lizard. Some skinks have very small legs or none at all, which makes them look snake-like, but they belong to the lizard family Scincidae.
Why do skinks drop their tails?
Dropping the tail is a defence. The loose tail wriggles and distracts a predator while the skink escapes. Many species slowly grow a new, often shorter tail.
How do you pronounce skink?
Say SKINK, as one syllable that rhymes with sink and pink.
Can you keep a skink as a pet?
Some species, such as blue-tongued skinks, are kept as pets in places where it is legal. They need warmth, light, space and the right food, and wild animals should not be taken from nature.