What does skirter mean?
A skirter is a rare noun for someone who runs away from duty, danger, or responsibility. Its best-known military sense refers to a soldier who abandons a post or retreats from combat rather than remain and face the threat. The term is chiefly British and now sounds literary, archaic, or deliberately disparaging. It can also be used more generally to describe a person who avoids an unwelcome confrontation or obligation. An older, now-dated sense identified a woman simply by her wearing a skirt, reflecting a historical convention rather than a current neutral description. Although the word has only limited use in modern English, it remains vivid in military narratives because it captures both the act of leaving and the stigma attached to doing so.
A person who evades or abandons duty, especially a soldier who runs away from a post or obligation; more generally, someone who avoids confronting a responsibility.
"The regiment remembered him as a skirter who had left his comrades alone to face the enemy."
Chiefly British, military, and historical; also used more generally for an evader or quitter.
A woman wearing a skirt.
"The painting portrayed each skirter in a long dress beside the river."
A dated sense, now encountered mainly in historical descriptions or discussions of older usage.
The regular plural of this rare noun.
"The officers suspected that the skirters had returned to camp."
A skirter was a vivid military label for someone who would face danger only from a safe distance.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does skirter come from?
“Skirter” was formed from “skirt” and the agentive suffix “-er,” originally referring to one who skirts around or avoids. The verb “skirt” developed from the older sense of moving around the edge or boundary of something. “Skirt” itself comes through Middle English from Old Norse skyrta, “shirt,” a word related to English “shirt.”
How skirter is actually used
The word is now chiefly historical, military, or literary. The sense for a woman wearing a skirt is dated and should be used only when discussing older language.