n. [ OE. skeyne, OF. escaigne, F. écagne, probably of Celtic origin; cf. Ir. sgainne, Gael. sgeinnidh thread, small twine; or perhaps the English word is immediately from Celtic. ]
☞ A skein of cotton yarn is formed by eighty turns of the thread round a fifty-four inch reel. [ 1913 Webster ]
n. (Zool.) A flight of wild fowl (wild geese or the like). [ Prov. Eng. ] [ 1913 Webster ]
n. See Skean. [ 1913 Webster ]