Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Skink \Skink\, n. [L. scincus, Gr. ????.] [Written also
   {scink}.] (Zo["o]l.)
   Any one of numerous species of regularly scaled harmless
   lizards of the family {Scincid[ae]}, common in the warmer
   parts of all the continents.

   Note: The officinal skink ({Scincus officinalis}) inhabits
         the sandy plains of South Africa. It was believed by
         the ancients to be a specific for various diseases. A
         common slender species ({Seps tridactylus}) of Southern
         Europe was formerly believed to produce fatal diseases
         in cattle by mere contact. The American skinks include
         numerous species of the genus {Eumeces}, as the
         blue-tailed skink ({E. fasciatus}) of the Eastern
         United States. The ground skink, or ground lizard
         ({Oligosoma laterale}) inhabits the Southern United
         States.