Dictionaries of the Scots Language
Dictionars o the Scots Leid

A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)

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First published 2001 (DOST Vol. IX).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Skene, n. Also: skean, skeen, skane, skien. [e.m.E. skayne (1527), skeyne (1530), skeine (1586), skene (1592), skeene (1606), Irish and Sc. Gaelic scian, sgian knife.] A knife or dirk used or as used by Highland Scots. 1679 T. Kirke A Modern Account of Scotland (1679) 11.]
[The Highlanders (wear) … a dirk, or skean about a foot or half a yard long, and the back of it filed into divers notches, wherein they put poyson 1580 Whitelaw Sc. Arms Makers 263.
Ane do. of skenis hewin iiij s. 1611 Crim. Trials III 199 n.
They thrust at him with durks and skanes ?1620 Spottiswoode Misc. I 114.
He tooke hold of a long skeen … and therewith did give him a deadly wound a1689 Cleland 34.
Skeens were glancing a1686 Turner Mem. 22.
Such weapons as [the rebels] had, which were halfe pikes, suords and daggers, which they call skeens

b. comb. 1682 Fountainhall Decis. I 195.
The Lords ordained them to be presently disarmed of their swords, pistols and skiendurks