selkie

American

[sil-kee] / ˈsɪl ki /

Rarely sealchie sometimes silkie

noun

Scot.

a mythical creature that looks like a seal in water but assumes human form on land.

selkie British

/ ˈsɛlkɪ /

noun

a variant of silkie

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of selkie

First recorded in 1685–95; Scots dialect (Orkney and Shetland Islands) variant of seal ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Selkie popped her head above the water.

From Literature

Now Selkie was flopping up the beach to greet them.

From Literature

Selkie twisted and shot up underneath, gliding Nim through the waves: thumping over, ducking under.

From Literature

Then Selkie and Fred went to sunbake on the rock and Nim went back to the hut.

From Literature

Even when the king of the sea lions barked at her to come and fish or snuggle down at night with her sea lion family, Selkie stayed close to Nim.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023