skerry
SKAIR-ee
A small, rocky island or reef — too small for habitation, often barely breaking the surface at high tide. Skerries line the coasts of Scotland, Scandinavia, and Iceland, creating navigational hazards and sheltered passages in equal measure.
Etymology
Old Norse sker (isolated rock in the sea), from Proto-Germanic *skarją (to cut). Related to English shear and scar. A skerry is, etymologically, a thing that has been cut off.
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