skein

[ skeyn ]

/ skeɪn /

a length of yarn or thread wound on a reel or swift preparatory for use in manufacturing.

anything wound in or resembling such a coil: a skein of hair.

something suggestive of the twistings of a skein: an incoherent skein of words.

a flock of geese, ducks, or the like, in flight.

a succession or series of similar or interrelated things: a skein of tennis victories.

Origin of skein

1400–50; late Middle English skeyne, skayne < Middle French escaigne < ?

The skein of life is drawn together to a point at the two ends and spread out in the middle.

The Old Folks' Party |Edward Bellamy
To secure the legs, when they can be felt, Blaine recommends a skein of worsted.

The Dog |Dinks, Mayhew, and Hutchinson
Then he added a pinch of a colorless powder, and dipped a skein of silk into the bowl.

In the Days of the Guild |Louise Lamprey
No errand was half as welcome as one to Uncle Josh, when they might take an egg and get a skein of cotton.

The New England Magazine Volume 1, No. 6, June, 1886, Bay State Monthly Volume 4, No. 6, June, 1886 |Various

And trying to untangle the skein, I was a good deal startled to feel a touch on my arm as I reached the sidewalk.

Blindfolded |Earle Ashley Walcott

skein

/ (skeɪn) /

a length of yarn, etc, wound in a long coil

something resembling this, such as a lock of hair

a flock of geese flying Compare gaggle (def. 2)

C15: from Old French escaigne, of unknown origin