noun / verb

scull

SKUL/skˈʌl/

An oar used to propel a small boat.

She grips a scull in each hand and rows across the lake.

A lone rower propels a small open boat with two short oars, one in each hand, with both blades visibly engaged in the water.

Etymology

The verb takes its name from a short, light, spoon-bladed oar. Its recorded early meaning was propelling a boat with one oar worked from the stern; the oar’s name has no known origin.

More examples

We lay the sculls across the boat after practice.
He sculls the dinghy with one oar at the stern.
The racing scull glides past the dock.

Forms

scull · sculls · sculled · sculling

sculler noun — A person who rows using sculls.

Similar words

oar: A broader term for the rowing implement, regardless of technique.
row: Means propelling with oars generally, not specifically using sculls.