— skirtless , adj. — skirtlike , adj.
/skerrt/ , n.
1. the part of a gown, dress, slip, or coat that extends downward from the waist.
2. a one-piece garment extending downward from the waist and not joined between the legs, worn esp. by women and girls.
3. some part resembling or suggesting the skirt of a garment, as the flared lip of a bell or a protective and ornamental cloth strip covering the legs of furniture.
4. a small leather flap on each side of a saddle, covering the metal bar from which the stirrup hangs. See diag. under saddle .
5. Building Trades.
a. baseboard (def. 1).
b. apron (def. 13).
6. Also called apron . Furniture.
a. a flat horizontal brace set immediately beneath the seat of a chair, chest of drawers, or the like, to strengthen the legs.
b. Also called bed, frieze . a flat brace or support immediately beneath a tabletop.
7. Usually, skirts . the bordering, marginal, or outlying part of a place, group, etc.; the outskirts.
8. Slang ( disparaging and offensive ). a woman or girl.
9. Rocketry. an outer part of a rocket or missile that provides structural support or houses such systems as avionics or gyroscopes.
v.t.
10. to lie on or along the border of: The hills skirt the town.
11. to border, wrap, or cover with a skirt or something suggesting a skirt in appearance or function.
12. to pass along or around the border or edge of: Traffic skirts the town.
13. to avoid, go around the edge of, or keep distant from (something that is controversial, risky, etc.): The senator skirted the issue.
14. to remove low-grade wool and foreign matter from (the outer edge of fleece).
v.i.
15. to be or lie on or along the edge of something.
16. to move along or around the border of something.
[ 1250-1300; ME skirte skyrta SHIRT ]
Syn. 13. evade, shun, circle, bypass.