Online Etymology Dictionary

skin (n.): c.1200, "animal hide" (usually dressed and tanned), from O.N. skinn "animal hide," from P.Gmc. *skintha- (cf. O.H.G. scinten, Ger. schinden "to flay, skin;" Ger. dial. schind "skin of a fruit," Flem. schinde "bark"), from PIE *sken- "cut off" (cf. Bret. scant "scale of a fish," Ir. scainim "I tear, I burst"), from base *sek- "cut." Replaced native hide; the modern technical distinction between the two words is based on the size of the animal. Meaning "epidermis of a living animal or person" is attested from 1340; extended to fruits, vegetables, etc. 1398.
"Ful of fleissche Y was to fele, Now ... Me is lefte But skyn & boon." [hymn, c.1430]
Jazz slang sense of "drum" is from 1927. As an adj., it formerly had a slang sense of "cheating" (1868); sense of "pornographic" is attested from 1968. The verb is attested from 1392, from the noun. Skin-tight is from 1885; skin deep is first attested 1613 in this:
"All the carnall beauty of my wife, Is but skin-deep." [Sir Thomas Overbury, "A Wife," 1613; the poem was a main motive for his murder]
skinflint: 1700, "miser," slang; lit. "kind of person who would skin a flint to save or gain something," from skin (v.) + flint.
skinny (adj.): 1573, "resembling skin," from skin (n.). Meaning "emaciated" is recorded from 1605. In the sense of "the truth" it is World War II military slang, perhaps from the notion of the "naked" truth. Skinny-dip first recorded 1950s.
skinhead: 1969, in U.K. youth gang sense, from skin (n.) + head. Earlier, in U.S., it meant "man with a crew cut" (1953), especially a military recruit.
pelt (n.): "skin of a fur-bearing animal," 1425, related to earlier pel (c.1300), contraction of pelet, from O.Fr. pelete "fine skin, membrane," dim. of pel "skin," from L. pellis "skin, hide."
sward: "grass-covered ground," O.E. sweard "skin, rind" (of bacon, etc.), from P.Gmc. *swarthu- (cf. O.Fris. swarde "skin of the head," M.Du. swarde "rind of bacon," Ger. Schwarte "thick, hard skin, rind," O.N. svörðr "walrus hide"). Meaning "sod, turf" developed c.1300, on notion of the "skin" of the earth (cf. O.N. grassvörðr, Dan. grønsvær "greensward").
slough (v.): "to cast off" (as the skin of a snake or other animal), 1720, originally of diseased tissue, from M.E. noun slughe, slouh "shed skin of a snake" (c.1300), probably related to O.S. sluk "skin of a snake," M.H.G. sluch "snakeskin, wineskin," M.L.G. slu "husk, peel, skin," Ger. Schlauch "wineskin;" from P.Gmc. *sluk-, of uncertain origin, perhaps from PIE base *sleug- "to glide."
hickie: "mark on skin made by biting or sucking during foreplay or sex," 1956; earlier "pimple, skin lesion" (c.1915) or "any unspecified object" (1909, cf. doohickey, still used in this sense).
cuticle: 1615, from L. cuticula, dim. of cutis "skin," from PIE *ku-ti-, from base *(s)keu- "to cover, conceal" (cf. Lith. kiautas "husk," O.E. hyd "skin, hide;" see hide (n.1)). Specialized sense of "skin at the base of the nail" is from 1907.
pellagra: chronic disease caused by dietary deficiency and characterized by skin eruptions, 1811, a hybrid formed from L. pellis "skin" + Gk. agra "a catching, seizure."
film: O.E. filmen "membrane, skin," from W.Gmc. *filminjan (cf. O.Fris. filmene "skin," O.E. fell "hide"), extended from P.Gmc. *fello(m) "animal hide," from PIE *pello-/*pelno- (cf. Gk. pella, L. pellis "skin"). Sense of "a thin coat of something" is 1577, extended by 1845 to the coating of chemical gel on photographic plates. By 1895 this also meant the coating plus the paper or celluloid. First used of "motion pictures" in 1905. The verb "to make a movie of" is from 1899.
hives: c.1500 hyvis "itchy condition of the skin," origin unknown. Some writers connect it with heave because hives erupt out from the skin, but the phonetics of that are difficult to explain.
buckskin: c.1300, "skin of a buck," from buck (n.) + skin. Meaning "leather made from buckskin" was in use by 1804. The word was a nickname for Continental troops in the American Revolution.
tattoo (2): "mark the skin with pigment," 1769 (noun and ver, both first attested in writing of Capt. Cook), from a Polynesian noun (e.g. Tahitian and Samoan tatau, Marquesan tatu "puncture, mark made on skin").
sheepskin: c.1200, "the skin of a sheep," from sheep + skin (n.). Meaning "diploma" dates from 1804; so called because formerly made of sheepskin parchment.
spoil: c.1300, from O.Fr. espoillier "to strip, plunder," from L. spoliare "to strip of clothing, rob," from spolium "armor stripped from an enemy, booty;" originally "skin stripped from a killed animal," from PIE *spol-yo-, perhaps from base *spel- "to split, to break off" (cf. Gk. aspalon "skin, hide," spolas "flayed skin;" Lith. spaliai "shives of flax;" O.C.S. rasplatiti "to cleave, split;" M.L.G. spalden, O.H.G. spaltan "to split;" Skt. sphatayati "splits"). Sense of "to damage so as to render useless" is from 1563; that of "to over-indulge" (a child, etc.) is from 1648 (implied in spoiled). Intransitive sense of "to go bad" is from 1692. To be spoiling for (a fight, etc.) is from 1865, from notion that one will "spoil" if he doesn't get it. The noun meaning "goods captured in time of war" is from c.1300. Spoiler "one who ruins an opponent's chances" is from 1950. Spoil-sport attested from 1801.
callus (n.): "hardened skin," 1560s, from L. callus, variant of callum "hard skin," related to callere "be hard," and cognate with Skt. kalika "bud," O.Ir. calath "hard," O.C.S. kaliti "to cool, harden."
erysipelas: late 14c., skin disease also known as St. Anthony's Fire, from Gk. erysipelas, perhaps from erythros "red" + pella "skin." Erythros is cognate with L. ruber, rufus, Goth. rauþs, O.E. read from the PIE base for "red" (see red); the initial -e- is because Gk. tends to avoid beginning words with -r-.
mole (1): "spot on skin," O.E. mal "spot, mark," especially on cloth or linen, from P.Gmc. *mailan "spot, mark" (cf. O.H.G. meil, Ger. Mal, Goth. mail "wrinkle"), from PIE base *mei-/*mai- "to stain, defile" (cf. Gk. miainein "to stain, defile," see miasma). Of human skin, attested from late 14c.
hue (1): "color," O.E. hiw "color, form, appearance, beauty," earlier hiow, heow, from P.Gmc. *khiwjan (cf. O.N. hy "bird's down," Swed. hy "skin, complexion," Goth. hiwi "form, appearance"), probably cognate with Skt. chawi "hide, skin, complexion, color, beauty, splendor." A common word in O.E., squeezed into obscurity after c.1600 by color.
mola: type of fish, 1678, from L., lit. "millstone." So called because of the fish's shape and rough skin.
hide (n.1): O.E. hyd, from P.Gmc. *khudiz (cf. O.N. huð, O.Fris. hed, M.Du. huut, Ger. Haut "skin"), related to O.E. verb hydan "to hide," the common notion being of "covering," from PIE base *(s)keu- "to cover, conceal" (cf. Skt. kostha "enclosing wall," skunati "covers;" Arm. ciw "roof;" L. cutis "skin," scutum "shield," ob-scurus "dark;" Gk. kytos "a hollow, vessel," keutho "to cover, to hide," skynia "eyebrows;" Rus. kishka "gut," lit. "sheath;" Lith. kiautas "husk," kutis "stall;" O.N. sky "cloud;" M.H.G. hode "scrotum;" O.H.G. scura, Ger. Scheuer "barn;" Welsh cuddio "to hide").
dermis: 1830, from Mod.L., from Gk. derma "skin."
derm: 1835, from Gk. derma "skin, hide, leather."
colored: in reference to "non-white skin," 1611; pp. adj. from color.
weal (2): "raised mark on skin," 1821, alteration of wale (q.v.).
ascus: "sac in certain fungi," 1830, Mod.L., from Gk. askos "leather bag, wine skin," of unknown origin.
scale (n1.): "skin plates on fish or snakes," c.1300, from O.Fr. escale (12c., Mod.Fr. écale) "scale, husk," from Frank., from P.Gmc. *skælo "split, divide" (cf. O.H.G. scala "shell," Goth. skalja "tile," O.E. scealu "shell, husk), from PIE base *(s)kel- "to cut, cleave, split" (cf. L. culter "knife," scalpere "to cut, scrape;" O.C.S. skolika "mussel, shell," Rus. skala "rind, bark," O.E. scell "shell"). In reference to humans, as a condition of certain skin diseases, it is attested from c.1400. As what falls from one's eye when blindness ends (usually fig.), it echoes Acts ix.18 (L. tanquam squamæ, Gk. hosei lepides). Verb meaning "to remove the scales from (a fish)" is attested from c.1440.
corrugated: 1620s, "wrinkled" (of skin, etc.), pp. adj. from corrugate. Meaning "bent into curves or folds" (of iron, cardboard, etc., for elasticity and strength) is from 1853.
jealous: early 13c., from O.Fr. gelos (12c., Fr. jaloux), from L.L. zelosus, from zelus "zeal," from Gk. zelos, sometimes "jealousy," but more often in a good sense ("emulation, rivalry, zeal"). See zeal. Among the ways to express this are Swed. svartsjuka, lit. "black-sick," from phrase bara svarta strumpor "wear black stockings," also "be jealous." Dan. skinsyg "jealous," lit. "skin-sick," is from skind "hide, skin" said to be explained by Swed. dial. expression fa skinn "receive a refusal in courtship."
"Most of the words for 'envy' ... had from the outset a hostile force, based on 'look at' (with malice), 'not love,' etc. Conversely, most of those which became distinctive terms for 'jealousy' were originally used also in a good sense, 'zeal, emulation.' " [Buck, pp.1138-9]
corium: 1650s, from L. corium "skin, hide, leather."
nectarine: type of peach with smooth skin, 1616, noun use of adj. meaning "of or like nectar" (1611). Probably inspired by Ger. nektarpfirsich "nectar-peach."
mink: 1431, "skin or fur of the mink," from a Scand. source. (cf. Swed. menk "a stinking animal in Finland"). Applied in Eng. to the animal itself from 1624.
tights: 1827, "tight-fitting breeches," from tight. Meaning "skin-tights worn by dancers, acrobats, etc." is attested from 1836.
labia majora: 1826, the outer fold of skin around the vulva, from L., lit. "great lips" (see labia). The singular is labium majus.
labia minora: 1826, the inner folds of skin around the vulva, from L., lit. "lesser lips" (see labia). The singular is labium minus.
hidebound: 1550s, from hide (n.1) + past tense of bind. Original reference is to emaciated cattle with skin sticking closely to backbones and ribs; metaphoric sense of "restricted by narrow attitudes" is first recorded c.1600.
wildfire: O.E., from wild (adj.) + fire (n.). Originally in ref. to spreading skin diseases; meaning "destructive fire" is attested from 1122; fig. sense is recorded from c.1300.
chap (v.): "to crack," early 15c., chappen, variant of choppen (see chop). The noun meaning "fissure in the skin" is from late 14c.
umiak: "large Eskimo boat," c.1743, from Eskimo umiaq "an open skin boat." Said by 18c.-19c. sources to be a "woman's boat," as opposed to the kayak, which was worked exclusively by men.
redskin: "American Indian," 1699. Red as the skin color of Native Americans is from 1587; red man is from 1587.
purpura: 1753, from Mod.L., from L. purpura (see purple). Disease characterized by purple patches on the skin.
scleroderma: 1866, from Mod.L., from Gk. skleros "hard" (see sclerosis) + derma "skin"
foreskin: 1530s, from fore + skin (n.). A loan-translation of L. prepuce.
dermatology: 1819, from comb. form of Gk. derma (gen. dermatos) "skin, hide, leather" + -logy.
hypodermic: 1863, formed in Eng. from Gk. hypo- "under" (see sub-) + derma "skin."
cutaneous: 1570s, from Mod.L. cutaneus, from cutis "the skin" (see cuticle).
husk: 1392, huske "dry, outer skin of certain fruits and seeds," perhaps from M.Du. huuskyn "little house, core of fruit, case," dim. of huus "house."
welt (n.): early 15c., a shoemaker's term, perhaps related to M.E. welten "to overturn, roll over" (c.1300), from O.N. velta "to roll" (related to welter (v.)). Meaning "ridge on the skin from a wound" is first recorded 1800.
seven-year itch: 1899, Amer.Eng., some sort of skin condition (sometimes identified with poison ivy infection) that either lasts seven years or returns every seven years. Jocular use for "urge to stray from marital fidelity" is attested from 1952, as the title of the Broadway play (made into a film, 1955) by George Axelrod (1922-2003), in which the lead male character reads an article describing the high number of men have extra-marital affairs after seven years of marriage.