'skink' originates from Middle English, specifically the word 'scinc,' which was derived from Latin 'scincus,' and ultimately from Greek 'skinkos,' referring to a type of lizard.

'scincus' transformed into the Middle English word 'scinc,' and eventually became the modern English word 'skink.'

Initially, it referred to a type of lizard, but over time it also came to mean a type of soup in Scottish dialect.