scink

3 definitions found

scink - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Scink \Scink\, n. (Zool.)
     A skink.
     [1913 Webster]

  Scink \Scink\, n.
     A slunk calf. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.]
     [1913 Webster]

  Skink \Skink\, n. [L. scincus, Gr. ????.] [Written also
     scink.] (Zool.)
     Any one of numerous species of regularly scaled harmless
     lizards of the family Scincidae, common in the warmer parts
     of all the continents.
     [1913 Webster]
  
     Note: The officinal skink (Scincus officinalis) inhabits
           the sandy plains of South Africa. It was believed by
           the ancients to be a specific for various diseases. A
           common slender species (Seps tridactylus) of Southern
           Europe was formerly believed to produce fatal diseases
           in cattle by mere contact. The American skinks include
           numerous species of the genus Eumeces, as the
           blue-tailed skink (Eumeces fasciatus) of the Eastern
           United States. The ground skink, or ground lizard
           (Oligosoma laterale) inhabits the Southern United
           States.
           [1913 Webster]