askew

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for June 7, 2007 is: askew • \uh-SKYOO\  • adjective : out of line : awry Examples: Jeff didn't realize that the bookshelf he had hung on the wall was slightly askew until he placed a pen on it and it rolled off the edge. Did you know? It's believed that "askew" was formed simply by attaching the prefix "a-" -- meaning, among other things, "in (such) a state or condition" -- to "skew." The word "skew," which derives via Middle English from Anglo-French "eschiver," meaning "to escape or avoid," can be a verb, adjective, or noun. But at the time of the first appearance of "askew" in English, in the middle of the 16th century, "skew" had only been established as a verb meaning "to take an oblique course or direction." At least one etymologist has suggested that "askew" might have been influenced by an Old Norse phrase, and that the same phrase might have also given us "askance." In the past, "askew" was used synonymously with "askance," as in, "She looked at me askew after my ill-timed joke." See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.