skeet

Definition

A form of trapshooting using clay targets to simulate birds in flight.

Etymology

Pseudo-archaic alteration of shoot, perhaps with reference to Old Norse skjóta; compare Scots skite (“to dart, to shoot”). The name for a form of trapshooting is attested from the 1920s, see quotations below. Senses related to ejaculation of semen likely derive from this, but compare also squirt, skite, or scoot. The word skeet is attested in reference to working class persons in US English from the 19th century, or the Newfoundland and Labrador regionalism may derive from other terms such as skite or skeeter; see quotation below.

Example Sentences

• "THE ARTICLE on the sport of Skeet that appeared in the June issue of WILD LIFE described the layout of the Skeet field, installation of the traps, and the rules and regulations for Skeet shooting."
• "The longer I shoot skeet the more convinced I am that it is the greatest game ever devised for the users of shotguns. Skeet has brought home to shooters the need of properly fitting guns and the benefit of straighter stocks"
• "To Mrs. Gertrude Hurlbutt, Montana rancher’s wife, went a $100 prize in 1926 from National Sportsman and Hunting and Fishing magazines for christening their newly sponsored shotgun sport “skeet” – Scandinavian derivation, meaning “to shoot.”"