| skein | 1. A quantity of yarn, thread, or the like, put up together, after it is taken from the reel, usually tied in a sort of knot. A skein of cotton yarn is formed by eighty turns of the thread round a fifty-four inch reel. 2. A metallic strengthening band or thimble on the wooden arm of an axle. Origin: OE. Skeyne, OF. Escaigne, F. Ecagne, probably of Celtic origin; cf. Ir. Sgainne, Gael. Sgeinnidh thread, small twine; or perhaps the English word is immediately from Celtic. <zoology> A flight of wild fowl (wild geese or the like). Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
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| skein cell | <haematology> Immature red blood cells normally restricted to the bone marrow and present in the blood stream in very low numbers (0.2-2%). An increase in numbers indicates increased proliferation in the bone marrow, for example following chemotherapy. (09 Oct 1997) |
| choroid skein | A marked enlargement of the choroid plexus of the lateral ventricle at the junction of the central part with the inferior horn. Synonym: glomus choroideum, choroid skein. (05 Mar 2000) |
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