skain

plural skains

1. obsoleteObsolete spelling of skein.First known use 16th–18th c.

   Knouel, der, oder Kna̔uel, a Bottom or Clevv of Thread or of Yarn, a Hank, a Skain of Yarn or Thread.

   1798, John Ebers, “Knouel”, in The New and Complete Dictionary of the German and English Languages […], volume II (H–R of the German Alphabet Explained in English), Leipzig, Saxony: […] Brietkopf and Haertel, →OCLC, page 360, column 1

   1 more example

   The aim of the rope-maker is to unite the strings of a great number of fibres. […] This is done by twisting or twining them together, which causes them to compress each other. […] Consequently, if we pull at this twisted skain, we shall not separate it by drawing one parcel out from among the rest, but the whole fibres will break; and if the distribution of the fibres has been very equable, the skain will be nearly of the same strength in every part.

   1807, G[eorge] Gregory, “ROPE-MAKING”, in A Dictionary of Arts and Sciences. […], volume II, London: […] [T. Gillet] for Richard Phillips, […], →OCLC, pages 602–603