The story
Attested ca. 1715, of uncertain origin. Said to be derived from dialectal scoon (“to skim over water”). Compare also shunt (“to cause to move (suddenly)”).
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
schooner
Today it means: A sailing ship with two or more masts, all with fore-and-aft sails; if two masted, having a foremast and a mainmast. Full definition →