# sky

Pronunciation: say "SKY" /skaɪ/

## Noun

1. The space above the earth as seen from the ground, where the sun, moon, stars, and clouds appear.
   - Simple: The space above the earth that you see when you look up, where the sun, moon, stars and clouds are.
   - _Not a cloud crossed the sky all afternoon._
   - _We lay on the grass and watched the fireworks burst across the sky._
2. Short for sky blue: a light, clear blue, like the color of the sky on a fine day. — Ellipsis of sky blue.
   - Simple: Short for sky blue: a light blue color.
   - _The linen shirt comes in white, sand, and sky, and the sky looks especially good with khakis._
   - _The milliner offered the bonnet in sky or in primrose._
12. In mathematics and theoretical physics, the set of all lightlike lines or directions through a given point in space-time.
   - Simple: In physics, all the paths of light that could pass through one point in space and time.
   - _The sky at a point is a sphere of directions, one for each incoming light ray._
   - _In the mathematics of space-time, the celestial sphere and the sky at a point are the same object._

## Verb

4. In ball games, to hit, kick, or throw a ball extremely high, often by mistake.
   - Simple: In sports, to hit or kick a ball very high into the air.
   - _The striker skied his shot over the crossbar in the final minute._
   - _Nervous players sky their penalties; calm ones pass the ball into the net._
5. To leap very high into the air, especially to reach a ball in a sport such as basketball or soccer. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To jump very high into the air, often to reach a ball in a game.
   - _Our center can sky above much taller players to pull down rebounds._
   - _The striker was skying above the defense to meet every cross._
6. To fly, or to move as fast as if flying; also, to get away or flee, especially by air.
   - Simple: To move very fast, as if flying, or to run away, especially by plane.
7. In sports, to clear a high-jump bar, hurdle, or similar obstacle by a large margin.
   - Simple: In sports, to jump over a bar or hurdle with lots of room to spare.
   - _The favorite skied the opening height and waited for the bar to reach two meters._
   - _Hurdlers who sky every barrier lose time in the air._
8. To pour a drink from a container into one's mouth without touching it with one's lips. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To drink from a bottle or jug without letting it touch your lips.
   - _My roommate gets mad if I don't sky the milk carton._
   - _At the festival, everyone shared one wineskin and learned to sky it without touching the spout._
9. In rowing, to raise an oar too high above the water.
   - Simple: In rowing, to lift the oar too high above the water.
   - _Rowers who sky before the catch lose the first inches of the stroke._
   - _From the launch, the rowing coach shouted that seat three was skying again, lifting her oar blade high above the water._

## Noun

3. Usually with the, heaven as the home of God or the gods, angels and departed souls, or its powers. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: In old and poetic use, heaven, the home of God or the gods.
   - _The old hymn begs mercy from the skies for sailors lost at sea._
   - _The old ballad promises the faithful a place of rest in the sky._
14. In a picture gallery, the upper rows of pictures that cannot easily be seen, or the place where they hang. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: In old slang, the highest rows of pictures in a gallery, where they are hard to see.
15. A cloud. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: An old word for a cloud.
16. Among pupils of Westminster School, a disagreeable person or an enemy. *(obsolete, UK)*
   - Simple: At Westminster School long ago, an unpleasant person or enemy.

## Verb

10. To hang an exhibited picture high on a wall where it is hard to see, or put something somewhere undesirable. *(dated)*
   - Simple: In old use, to hang a painting too high to be seen well, or to put something in a bad spot.
11. To toss something upward, in particular to flip a coin. *(dated)*
   - Simple: In old slang, to throw something up in the air, especially to flip a coin.
13. To drive up the price of an auction lot, or the bidding in general, by making high bids. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: In old use, to push up the price at an auction by bidding high.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–15** — The noun comes from Middle English "sky" (meaning sky, cloud, or mist), from Old Norse "ský" ("cloud"), from Proto-Germanic and ultimately a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to cover" or "to hide." The verb is derived from the noun. It is related to words for cloud, mist, and shadow in languages such as Danish, Swedish, Old Irish, and Latin.
**Meaning 16** — Westminster School slang, from Volsci, an ancient people who fought Rome: the schoolboys cast themselves as Romans and outsiders as their enemies.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/sky (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).