skæv

Danish

Alternative forms

• skjæv, skiæv, skjev, skiev (older spellings)

Etymology

From Old Norse skeifr, from Proto-Germanic *skaibaz (“crooked”), of disputed ultimate origin. Perhaps from the same source as *skeuhaz (“frightened, shy”). Another possibility is Proto-Indo-European *skeh₂iwos, the source of Latin scaevus (“on the left side”). See also Swedish skev, Dutch scheef, German schief (from Low German).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈskɛːˀv/, [ˈsɡ̊ɛˀʋ], [ˈsɡ̊ɛwˀ]

Adjective

skæv (neuter skævt, plural and definite singular attributive skæve)

1. oblique, slanting
2. wry, skew, cockeyed
3. lopsided, one-sided, distorted
4. unequal
5. stoned, high

Inflection

Inflection of skæv

	positive	comparative	superlative
indefinite common singular	skæv	skævere	skævest2
indefinite neuter singular	skævt	skævere	skævest2
plural	skæve	skævere	skævest2
definite attributive1	skæve	skævere	skæveste

¹ When an adjective is applied predicatively to something definite,
the corresponding "indefinite" form is used.
² The "indefinite" superlatives may not be used attributively.

Synonyms

• (high): høj

Descendants

• Norwegian Bokmål: skjev