Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1400-1500
Language: Old French
Origin: escaigne

skein

 noun
     
skein [countable]
1DH a long loosely wound piece of thread, wool, or yarn
2 literary a complicated series of things that are related to each other [= web]:
a skein of lies
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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