[skein] n [ME skeyne, fr. MF escaigne] (14c) 1 or skean or skeane : a loosely coiled length of yarn or thread wound on a reel
2: something suggesting the twists or coils of a skein: tangle
3: a flock of wildfowl (as geese or ducks) in flight
[2]skein vt (ca. 1775): to wind into skeins "~ yarn"