Etymology dictionary

saveloy (n.) — scaphoid (adj.)

saveloy (n.)

type of highly seasoned dried sausage, 1837, corruption of French cervelas, from Italian cervellata, from cervello "brain," from Latin cerebrum (see cerebral). So called because originally it was made of pigs' brains.

saver (n.)

c. 1300, sauuer, "savior," agent noun from save (v.). Especially of Christ, God, the Virgin, "one who saves from sin and its penalties," and an alternative to saviour (see savior). By 1540s, perhaps a new formation, it had taken on the secular meaning "one who economizes," by c. 1600, that of "one who rescues from destruction or death," and by 1660s that of "means of saving" (as in time-saver, attested in U.S. advertisements by 1836). OED print notes saver as "now only used when saviour would seem inappropriate."

Saville Row

also Savile Row, fashionable street in London, noted for its tailors' shops since at least 1870; hence, metonymically, "fashionable tailoring," by 1893. The street name itself dates to mid-18c. and is named for the aristocratic family that formerly had an estate nearby. It was a fashionable neighborhood early 19c., which might have attracted the tailors.

savior (n.)

c. 1300, saveour, "one who delivers or rescues from peril," also a title of Jesus Christ, from Old French sauveour, from Late Latin salvatorem (nominative salvator) "a saver, preserver," originally and chiefly Church Latin, with reference to Christ (source also of Spanish salvador, Italian salvatore), from salvatus, past participle of salvare "to save" (see save (v.)). In the New Testament used of both Jesus and God.

In the Christian sense, the Latin noun is a translation of Greek sōtēr "savior." In English, it replaced Old English hælend, literally "healing," likely a loan-translation from Latin, a noun use of the present participle of hælan (see heal). Middle English also had salvatour "Jesus Christ," also "a rescuer" (c. 1300) from the Latin, and compare saver. The conservatism of liturgy sustained the -our spelling (see -or).

saviour (n.)

chiefly British English spelling of savior (q.v.), but also sustained somewhat in the Christian sense in American English; for suffix, see -or.

Savoy

region and former duchy south of Lake Geneva (now France, before 1860 part of the Kingdom of Sardinia), French Savoie, from Roman Sapaudia, which is of unknown origin. Related: Savoyard "native or inhabitant of Savoy," with French -ard (see -ard). By mid-18c. they were "well known in other countries as musicians itinerating with hurdy-gurdy and monkey" [OED].

savoir-faire (n.)

"instinctive knowledge of the right course of action in any circumstance, faculty of knowing just what to do and how to do it," 1815 (Scott), a French phrase in English, literally "to know (how) to do," from savoir "to know" (from Latin sapere; see sapient) + faire (from Latin facere "to make, do;" from PIE root *dhe- "to set, put"). French also has savoir-vivre "knowledge of and ability in the usages of polite society; knowledge of customs in the world," which turns up in English writers, occasionally, in italics.

Savonarola

figurative for a puritan attitude toward the arts at least since Shaw (1916), from the name of Girolamo Savonarola (1452-1498), Dominican monk famous for his fierce opposition to moral licence and Church corruption.

savor (v.)

mid-13c., savouren, "give pleasure to;" c. 1300, have a pleasant smell," from Old French savorer "to taste, breathe in; appreciate, care for," from Late Latin saporare, from Latin sapor (see savor (n.)). Of things, "to have a flavor or taste," early 14c., also figurative. The sense of "perceive by sense of taste" is early 15c. Related: Savored; savoring.

savor (n.)

c. 1200, savour, "agreeable flavor; agreeable smell; pleasure, delight," from Old French savor "flavor, taste; sauce, seasoning; delight, pleasure," from Latin saporem (nominative sapor) "taste, flavor," related to sapere "to have a flavor" (see sapient). By c. 1300 as the flavor of a thing in any sense. From late 14c. as "taste as a property of matter."

savory (adj.)

"pleasing in taste or smell," c. 1200, savourie, originally figurative and spiritual (of virtues, etc.), from Old French savore "tasty, flavorsome" (Modern French savouré), past participle of savourer "to taste" (see savor (n.)). Of food or drink, "tasteful, flavorful," by late 14c. Related: Savoriness. Savorless "without taste, destitute of flavor" is from late 14c.

savory (n.)

aromatic evergreen herb, late 14c. (mid-13c. in surnames), savereie, savory, which is ultimately from Latin satureia "savory (n.)," a foreign word of unknown origin. The Middle English word is perhaps an alteration of Old English sæþerie, which apparently is from an Old French development of the Latin word (compare Old French sarree, and, later, savereie). In either case, the form of the word likely was altered along the way by influence of the Middle English or Old French form of savory (adj.). "As with other plant-names of unobvious meaning, the word has suffered much variation in popular speech" [Century Dictionary].

savour

chiefly British English spelling of savor (q.v.); for spelling, see -or. Related: Savoured; savouring.

savoury

chiefly British English spelling of savory; also see -or.

savvy (n.)

1785, slang, "practical sense, intelligence, knowledge of the world;" also a verb, "to know, to understand;" a West Indies pidgin borrowing of French savez(-vous)? "do you know?" or Spanish sabe (usted) "you know," the verb in both from Vulgar Latin *sapere, from Latin sapere "be wise, be knowing" (see sapient). The adjective, of persons, is attested by 1905, from the noun. Related: Savvily; savviness.

saw (v.)

"cut or cut in pieces with a saw," c. 1200, sauen, saghen, from saw (n.1). Strong conjugation (sawn) began by c. 1400 on model of draw, etc. Related: Sawed; sawing. Sawed-off "short, cut short" is attested by 1887, by 1898 specifically of shotguns.

saw (v.1)

past tense of see; from Old English plural sawon.

saw (n.1)

[toothed cutting tool] Middle English saue, from Old English sagu, from Proto-Germanic *sago "a cutting tool" (source also of Old English seax "knife," Old Norse sög, Norwegian sag, Danish sav, Swedish såg, Middle Dutch saghe, Dutch zaag, Old High German saga, German Säge "saw"), from PIE root *sek- "to cut" (source also of Latin secare "to cut").

In reference to its use as a musical instrument, by 1905. Saw-grass, the long, toothed grass found in the Southern U.S., is attested by 1822. The saw-fly (1773), destructive to plants, is so called for the construction of the insect's egg-depositing organ.

saw (n.2)

[proverb, saying, maxim], Middle English saue, at first in a general sense, "what is said, talk, words," from Old English sagu "saying, discourse, speech, study, tradition, tale," from Proto-Germanic *saga-, *sagon- (source also of Middle Low German, Middle Dutch sage, zage, German Sage "legend, fable, saga, myth, tradition," Old Norse saga "story, tale, saga"), from PIE root *sek(w)- "to say, utter" (see say (v.)).

The surviving specific sense of "proverb, saying, maxim" is by late 13c. "[A] contemptuous term for an expression that is more common than wise" [Century Dictionary].

sawbill (n.)

name given to several bird species with serrated bills, by 1763; see saw (n.1) + bill (n.2).

sawbones (n.)

"surgeon," 1837 (Dickens), slang, from verbal phrase; see saw (v.) + bone (n.).

sawbuck (n.)

"ten-dollar bill or note," also saw-buck, American English slang, 1850 (implied in double-sawbuck), so called from the resemblance of X (the Roman numeral 10, prominent in the design of many mid-19c. U.S. bank notes) to the ends of a sawhorse. Sawbuck in the sense of "sawhorse" is attested by 1837 (see saw (n.1) + buck (n.3)).

sawdust (n.)

"small particles produced by the work of a saw on wood," 1520s, from saw (n.1) + dust (n.).

*sawel-

*sāwel-, Proto-Indo-European root meaning "the sun." According to Watkins, the *-el- in it originally was a suffix, and there was an alternative form *s(u)wen-, with suffix *-en-, hence the two forms represented by Latin sol, English sun.

It forms all or part of: anthelion; aphelion; girasole; heliacal; helio-; heliotrope; helium; insolate; insolation; parasol; parhelion; perihelion; Sol; solar; solarium; solstice; south; southern; sun; Sunday.

It is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Sanskrit suryah, Avestan hvar "sun, light, heavens;" Greek hēlios; Latin sol "the sun, sunlight;" Lithuanian saulė, Old Church Slavonic slunice; Gothic sauil, Old English sol "sun;" Old English swegl "sky, heavens, the sun;" Welsh haul, Old Cornish heuul, Breton heol "sun;" Old Irish suil "eye;" Avestan xueng "sun;" Old Irish fur-sunnud "lighting up;" Old English sunne German Sonne, Gothic sunno "the sun."

sawer (n.)

"one who saws," agent noun from saw (v.). Also see sawyer.

sawfish (n.)

also saw-fish, "selachian fish having a long, flat snout with horizontal projecting teeth" (used in killing prey), 1660s; see saw (n.1.) + fish (n.).

sawhorse (n.)

"support or rack for holding wood while it is cut by a saw," 1778, from saw (n.1) + horse (n.) in the mechanical sense.

sawmill (n.)

"mill (originally driven by water or wind) for sawing timber into boards and planks," 1550s; see saw (n.1) + mill (n.1).

sawn

strong past participle of saw (v.), attested from c. 1400.

Sawney (n.)

derisive term for a Scotsman, by 1704; see Sandy.

sawtooth (n.)

c. 1600, "a tooth of a saw," from saw (n.1) + tooth. As an adjective, by 1876.

sawyer (n.)

mid-13c. sawer, sauere, "one whose occupation is the sawing of timber into planks, boards, etc." (as a surname from c. 1200), agent noun from saw (v.). Altered to the modern form after late 13c. by French and French-derived words in -ier (such as lawyer, bowyer, clothier).

sax (n.)

by 1923, a colloquial shortening of saxophone. In Old English and early Middle English it meant "a knife" (compare Saxon). However distant in time and sense, they may be etymological relations (see saxophone).

saxifrage (n.)

type of plant typically found in cold regions and used medicinally, late 14c., from Old French saxifrage (13c.), from Late Latin saxifraga, name of a kind of herb, from Latin saxifraga herba, literally "a rock-breaking herb," from saxifragus "stonebreaking," from saxum "stone, rock" + frag-, root of frangere "to break" (from PIE root *bhreg- "to break"). Pliny says the plant was so called because it was given to dissolve gallstones, but a more likely explanation is that it was so called because it grows in crevices in rocks. (Latin used different words for "stone" and "gallstone" — saxum and calculus). Related: Saxifragaceous; saxifragal.

Saxon (n.)

c. 1200, Sexun, Saxun, "member of a people or tribe formerly living in northern Germania who invaded and settled in Britain 5c.-6c.," from Late Latin Saxonem (nominative Saxo; also source of Old French saisoigne, French Saxon, Spanish Sajon, Italian Sassone), usually found in plural Saxones, probably from a West Germanic tribal name (represented by Old English Seaxe, Old High German Sahsun, German Sachse "Saxon").

This is traditionally regarded as meaning "warrior with knives" (compare Middle English sax, Old English seax, Old Frisian, Old Norse sax "knife, short sword, dagger," Old High German Saxnot, name of a war-god), from Proto-Germanic *sahsa- "knife," from PIE root *sek- "to cut." But Watkins considers this doubtful.

The word figures in the oft-told tale, related by Geoffrey of Monmouth, who got it from Nennius, of the treacherous slaughter by the Anglo-Saxons of their British hosts:

The OED editors helpfully point out that the murderous shout in correct Old English (with an uninflected plural) would be nimað eowre seax. For other Germanic national names that may have derived from characteristic tribal weapons, see Frank, Lombard. Celtic languages used their form of the word to mean "an Englishman, one of the English race" or English-speaking person in Celtic lands (for example Welsh Sais, plural Seison "an Englishman;" Seisoneg "English;" compare Sassenach).

As an adjective from late 14c. (earlier was Saxish, c. 1200); in reference to the later German state of Saxony (German Sachsen, French Saxe) in central Germany it is attested by mid-14c. Bede distinguished the Anglo-Saxons, who conquered much of southern Britain, from the Ealdesaxe "Old Saxons," who stayed in Germany.

Saxon is the source of the -sex in Essex, Sussex, etc. (compare Middlesex, from Old English Middel-Seaxe "Middle Saxons").

saxophone (n.)

type of modern metal musical instrument played through a reeded mouthpiece (originally meant as a more sonorous substitute for the clarinet in military bands), 1851, from French saxophone, named for Antoine Joseph "Adolphe" Sax (1814-1894), Belgian instrument maker who devised it c. 1840, + musical-instrument ending ultimately from Greek phōnē "voiced, sounding" (see -phone).

His father, Charles Joseph (1791-1865) invented the less popular saxhorn (1844) in the trumpet family, also meant for military bands. The surname is a spelling variant of Sachs, Sacks, literally "Saxon." Related: Saxophonist.

sayable (adj.)

"capable of being spoken," 1858; see say (v.) + -able.

sayonara

"farewell, good-bye," 1875, from Japanese, said to mean literally "if it is to be that way," from sayo "that way," + nara "if."

sayyid

also sayid, Islamic title of honor, applied to descendants of Hussein, Muhammad's grandson, 1788, from Arabic sayyid "lord, chief," perhaps literally "speaker, spokesman."

sbirro (n.)

Italian police officer, 1660s, from Italian, "police officer, constable" (plural sbirri), from Late Latin birrus "red," from Greek pyrros "red," literally "fire-colored," from pyr "fire" (from PIE root *paewr- "fire"). With unetymological prefix (compare Spanish esbirro "henchman, minion," also Italian sbarra "barrier, cross-bar," etc.). Probably so called from the original color of the uniform.

scab (n.)

mid-13c., in a general sense, "skin disease, 'the itch,' " developed from Old English sceabb (related to scafan "to shave, scrape, scratch") and from its cognate, Old Norse skabb, both from Proto-Germanic *skab- "scratch, shave" (from PIE *(s)kep- "to cut, scrape, hack;" see scabies). Likely reinforced by resemblance of the plural to Latin cognate scabies "scab, itch, mange" (from scabere "to scratch").

The word was extended late 14c. to the patches or ulcerations accompanying the disease, hence the main modern meaning "crust which forms over a wound or sore," attested by c. 1400.

The colloquial meaning "strikebreaker" is recorded by 1806, from earlier colloquial sense of "person who refuses to join a trade union" (1777), probably from meaning "despicable person; mean, paltry fellow" (1580s), which, according to OED, is possibly from Dutch, where a similar sense had developed. The flood-scoured scablands of the Pacific Northwest were so called by 1923.

scabbard (n.)

c. 1300, scauberc, "a sheath for a sword or similar weapon," from Anglo-French *escauberc (13c.), from Frankish or another Germanic source (compare (source also of Old High German scarberc), from Proto-Germanic *sker-berg-, literally "sword-protector," from *skar "blade" (source also of Old High German scar "scissors, blade, sword," from PIE root *sker- (1) "to cut") + *berg- "protect" (source also of Old High German bergan "to protect;" from PIE root *bhergh- (1) "to hide, protect").

The spelling in English after late 14c. was conformed to words in -ard. A different Middle English scabbard meant "one suffering from scabies" (c. 1300 as a surname). In Old French and Middle English scabbard also was occasionally "the vagina."

scabby (adj.)

early 15c., scabbi, from scabbe (see scab (n.)).

scabies (n.)

skin disease characterized by eruptions and inflammation, c. 1400, "the itch; scabby skin generally," from Latin scabies "mange, itch, roughness," from scabere "to scratch, scrape" (from PIE root *(s)kep-, a base forming words meaning "to cut, scrape, hack," source also of Gothic scaban, Old English sceafan "to scrape, shave;" Greek skaptein "to dig;" Old Church Slavonic skobli "scraper;" Lithuanian skabus "sharp," skabėti "to cut;" Lettish skabrs "splintery, sharp").

Modern medical use in reference to a contagious skin disease due to a parasitic mite is by 1814. The older name for a skin condition or disease was simply scab. Scabbed "afflicted with scabies or mange" is by c. 1300. Related: Scabious.

scabrous (adj.)

1570s, "harsh, unmusical" (implied in scabrously), from Late Latin scabrosus "rough," from Latin scaber "rough, scaly," related to scabere "to scratch, scrape" (from PIE *(s)kep- "to cut, scrape, hack;" see scabies).

The sense in English evolved to "vulgar" (by 1881), "squalid" (by 1939), and "nasty, repulsive" (by 1951). The etmological sense of "rough, rugged, having little sharp points" is attested in English from 1650s. Related: Scabrousness.

scad (n.)

c. 1600, Cornish name for a type of fish (also known as horse mackerel) abundant on the British coast; a name of uncertain origin, perhaps a variant of shad. OED compares Welsh ysgaden "herrings," Norwegian dialectal skad, Swedish skädde "flounder."

scads (n.)

"large amounts," 1869, American English, earlier "a dollar" (1855, usually in plural), a word of uncertain origin. Unknown connection to scad, the fish, which, along the British coasts, were often very abundant and occasionally seen in immense shoals.

scaffold (n.)

mid-14c., "temporary wooden framework upon which workmen stand in erecting a building, etc.," a shortening of an Old North French variant of Old French eschafaut "scaffold" (Modern French échafaud), probably altered (by influence of eschace "a prop, support") from chaffaut, from Vulgar Latin *catafalicum.

This is from Greek kata- "down" (see cata-), used in Medieval Latin with a sense of "beside, alongside" + fala "scaffolding, wooden siege tower," a word said to be of Etruscan origin.

From late 14c. as "raised platform on a stage in a play;" the general sense of "viewing stand" is from c. 1400. The meaning "platform for a hanging" is from 1550s (as a platform for a beheading from mid-15c.). Dutch schavot, German Schafott, Danish skafot are from French.

As a verb from mid-15c., scaffolden, "construct a scaffold;" by 1660s as "put a scaffold up to" (a building).

scaffolding (n.)

"frame or structure for temporary support in construction, etc.," mid-14c.; see scaffold. Scaffoldage is from c. 1600.

scag (n.)

see skag.

scalable (adj.)

1570s, "able to be climbed;" see scale (v.1) + -able. By 1936 as "able to be graded by scale." Related: Scalably; scalability.

scalar (adj.)

1650s, "resembling a ladder," from Latin scalaris "of or pertaining to a ladder," from scalae (plural) "ladder, steps, flight of steps" (see scale (n.2)). The noun in the mathematical sense of "a real number" is from 1846, coined by Irish mathematician William R. Hamilton (1805-1865), who can explain why it is the correct word for that.

scalawag (n.)

also scallawag, "disreputable fellow," by 1839, American English colloquial, of uncertain origin; perhaps an alteration (by influence of wag "habitual joker") of Scottish scallag "farm servant, rustic," itself an alteration of Scalloway, one of the Shetland Islands, the reference being to little Shetland ponies (an early recorded sense of scalawag was "undersized, ill-fed, or worthless animal," 1854).

In U.S. history, used from 1862 as a derogatory term for anti-Confederate native white Southerners.

scalding (adj.)

early 13c., schaldinde, present-participle adjective from scald (v.)). Scalding hot is attested by early 15c.; scald hot is from late 14c.

scald (v.)

c. 1200, scalden, "to be very hot;" also "to affect (someone) painfully by short exposure to hot liquid or steam," from Old North French escalder "to scald, to scorch" (Old French eschalder "heat, boil up, bubble," Modern French échauder), from Late Latin excaldare "bathe in hot water" (source also of Spanish escaldar, Italian scaldare "heat with hot water"), from Latin ex "out, out of" (see ex-) + calidus "hot" (from PIE root *kele- (1) "warm"). Related: Scalded; scalding.

"[T]he word entered at an early date into the Scandinavian languages" [OED]. The noun is c. 1600, from the verb, "burn or injury to the skin by hot liquid or steam."

scale (v.1)

"to climb (a wall) by or as by a ladder; attack with scaling ladders," late 14c., scalen, from Latin scala "ladder, flight of stairs," from *scansla, from stem of scandere "to climb" (see scan (v.)).

Middle English scale, "ladder used in sieges," is attested c. 1400, from the Latin noun. The verb in general and figurative use (of mountains, heights of pleasure, etc.) is from 16c.

Via scale (n.3) "standard of measure or estimation" comes the meaning "measure or regulate by a scale" (1798), the sense of "draw, project, or make according to scale" (by 1885), and scale down "cut or decrease proportionally in every part" (by 1887). Related: Scaled; scaling.

scale (v.3)

1690s, "weigh in scales," from scale (n.2). Earlier in a now-obsolete sense "to compare, estimate" (c. 1600). The meaning "weigh out in proper quantities" is by 1841. Related: Scaled; scaling.

scale (v.2)

"remove the scales of (a fish, etc.)," c. 1400, scalen, from scale (n.1). Intransitive sense "to separate and come off in scales or thin layers" is from 1520s. Related: Scaled; scaling.

scale (n.1)

[one of the skin plates on fish or snakes] c. 1300, from Old French escale "cup, scale, shell pod, husk" (12c., Modern French écale), from Frankish *skala or some other Germanic source, from Proto-Germanic *skæla "to split, divide" (source also of Dutch schaal "a scale, husk," Old High German scala "shell," Gothic skalja "tile," Old English scealu "shell, husk"), from PIE root *skel- (1) "to cut." A prehistoric cognate of scale (n.2) "weighing instrument."

In reference to humans, as a condition of certain skin diseases, it is attested from late 14c. Extended in botany to coverings of leaf-buds, etc., by 1776. As what falls from one's eye when blindness ends (usually figurative), it echoes Acts ix:18 (Latin tanquam squamæ, Greek hosei lepides).

scale (n.3)

[standard of measure or estimation] late 14c., "series of registering marks; marks laid down to determine distance along a line," (in Chaucer's description of the astrolabe), from Latin scala "ladder, flight of stairs," from *scansla, from stem of scandere "to climb" (see scan (v.)).

The noun in the classical Latin sense is rare, though Middle English had it as "ladder used in sieges" (c. 1400). The meaning "succession or series of steps ascending or descending" is from c. 1600; that of "standard for estimation" (large scale, small scale, etc.) is from 1620s.

The musical sense of "definite and standard series of tones within a certain range," typically an octave (1590s), and the meaning "proportion of a representation to the actual object" (1660s) are via Italian scala, from Latin scala.

scale (n.2)

[weighing instrument] early 15c., extended to the whole instrument from the earlier sense of "pan of a balance" (late 14c.); earlier still "drinking cup" (c. 1200), from Old Norse skal "bowl, drinking cup," in plural, "weighing scale."

This is from a noun derivative of Proto-Germanic *skæla "to split, divide" (source also of Old Norse skel "shell," Old English scealu, Old Saxon skala "a bowl (to drink from)," Old High German scala, German Schale "a bowl, dish, cup," Middle Dutch scale, Dutch schaal "drinking cup, bowl, shell, scale of a balance"), from PIE root *skel- (1) "to cut."

The connecting sense seems to be of half of a bivalve ("split") shell used as a drinking cup or a pan for weighing; compare scallop, which is from the same root. But according to Paulus Diaconus the "drinking cup" sense originated from a supposed custom of making goblets from skulls (see skull). Scales as a name for the zodiac constellation Libra is attested in English from 1630s.

scalene (adj.)

"having unequal sides," in mathematics, 1680s, from Late Latin scalenus, from Greek skalēnos "craggy, rough; uneven, unequal," of numbers, "odd," of cones, "slant;" as a noun, "triangle with unequal sides" (trigōnon skalēnon). This is from skallein "to dig, stir up, hoe" (compare its derivative, skalops "a mole"), from a PIE root *skel- (1) "to split, tear, cut."

scale-pan (n.)

"either of the dishes of a balance," 1830, from scale (n.2) + pan (n.).

scaly (adj.)

also scaley, "covered with or provided with scales" late 14c. (mid-13c. as a surname), scali, from scale (n.1) + -y (2). Related: Scaliness.

scallion (n.)

late 14c., scalun "shallot," kind of common onion, also "thing of little value," from Anglo-French escalone, Old North French escalogne, or Old French eschaloigne, all from Vulgar Latin *escalonia, from Latin (cæpa) Ascalonia "(onion) from Ascalon," the seaport in the southwestern Levant (modern Ashkelon in Israel). Cognate with shallot.

scallop (v.)

1737 in cookery, "to bake or brown with sauce in a scallop-shell-shaped pan," by 1737, from scallop (n.); originally of oysters and the notion might have been baking or serving them in a large scallop shell. Related: Scalloped "cooked in a scallop-pan;" also "with the edges marked or cut into convex rounded lobes;" scalloping.

scallop (n.)

type of edible bivalve mollusk, mid-14c., scalop, from Old French escalope "shell (of a nut), carpace," a variant of eschalope, which probably is from a Germanic source (compare Old Norse skalpr "sheath," Middle Dutch schelpe "shell"), from PIE root *skel- (1) "to cut."

Extended 17c. to objects shaped or ornaments cut like scallop shells, especially in design and dress. The shells of the larger species, often colorfully marked, have been used as domestic utensils. It also was a symbol of St. James the Great, and the shells were worn or carried as by pilgrims who had been to his shrine in Compostella.

scalp (n.)

mid-14c. (c. 1200 as a surname), "crown or top of the head (including hair)," presumably from a Scandinavian source (though exact sense cognates are wanting) related to Old Norse skalli "a bald head," skalpr "sheath, scabbard," from PIE root *skel- (1) "to cut," which is also the base of shell, skull, and scallop.

French scalpe, German, Danish, Swedish skalp are from English. Meaning "head skin and hair cut or torn from the head as a victory trophy" is from c. 1600, in Holland's Pliny, 1670s in reference to some North American tribal customs; as proof of the killing of an animal by 1703. Figuratively, as a symbol of victory, by 1757.

scalp (v.)

1670s, "to deprive of the scalp, cut off (someone's) scalp," from scalp (n.), originally in reference to North American natives. For ticket re-selling sense, see scalper. Related: Scalped; scalping. Compare German skalpern, Danish skalpere, Swedish skalpera. French scalper is from Germanic. Similarity to Latin scalpere "to cut, carve" is accidental.

scalpel (n.)

"small, light surgical knife held like a pen," 1742, from Latin scalpellum "a surgical knife," diminutive of scalprum "knife, chisel, tool for scraping or cutting," from scalpere "to carve, cut," which is related to sculpere "to carve" (from PIE root *skel- (1) "to cut").

scalper (n.)

1650s as a type of surgical instrument; 1760 as "one who takes or removes scalps," agent noun from scalp (v.).

The meaning "person who re-sells tickets at unauthorized prices for a profit" is by 1869 in American English; the earliest reference is to theater tickets, but it more often was used late 19c. of brokers who sold unused portions of railway tickets.

Railways charged less per mile for longer-distance tickets; a person traveling from New York to Chicago could buy a ticket to San Francisco, get off at Chicago and sell the ticket to a scalper, and have traveled more cheaply than if he had simply bought a ticket to Chicago. The Chicago scalper would hold the ticket till he found someone looking for a ticket to San Francisco, then sell it at a slight advance but for less than the official price.

Perhaps it is from scalp (v.) in some sense; scalper was a generic term for "con man, cheater" in late 19c. Or perhaps the connecting sense is the bounty offered for scalps of certain destructive animals (attested in New England from 1703) and the notion is "one who holds only part of something, but still gets a reward." Some, though, see a connection rather to scalpel, the surgical instrument.

scam

1963, noun ("trick, ruse, swindle, cheat") and verb ("to trick or swindle, perpetrate a fraud"), U.S. slang, a carnival term, of unknown origin. Perhaps related to 19c. British slang scamp "cheater, swindler" (see scamp (n.)).

scamp (n.)

1782, "highway robber," probably from dialectal verb scamp "to roam" (1753, perhaps from 16c.), which is shortened from scamper. By 1808 in a general sense of "fugitive, vagabond, swindler, mean villain;" used in the affectionate sense of "rascal" since 1837.

scamp (v.)

"do in a hasty manner, perform in a slipshod or perfunctory way," 1837, probably from a dialect word, perhaps from a Scandinavian source (OED compares Old Norse skemma "to shorten, make shorter," from skammr "short; brief; lately"), or a blend of scant and skimp [Klein], or a back-formation from scamper. Related: Scamped; scamping.

scamper (v.)

"to run quickly, hasten away," 1680s, probably from Flemish schampeeren, frequentative of schampen "run away," from Old North French escamper (Old French eschamper) "to run away, flee, quit the battlefield, escape," from Vulgar Latin *excampare "decamp," literally "leave the field," from Latin ex campo, from ex "out of" (see ex-) + campo, ablative of campus "field" (see campus).

A vogue word late 17c.; "Not improbably the word was originally military slang" [OED]. Related: Scampered; scampering. The noun is 1680s, "a hasty run or flight," from the verb.

scampi (n.)

"prawns eaten as a delicacy," by 1930, popular from 1960s, plural of Italian scampo "prawn," a word from Venetian dialect, ultimately from Greek kampē, also "caterpillar, silkworm, grub," probably all in the sense of "the curved animal," literally "a bending, bow, curvature" (see campus).

scan (v.)

late 14c., scannen, "to mark off verse in metric feet, analyze verse according to its meter," from Late Latin scandere "to scan verse," originally, in classical Latin, "to climb, rise, mount" (the connecting notion is of the rising and falling rhythm of poetry), from PIE *skand- "to spring, leap, climb" (source also of Sanskrit skandati "hastens, leaps, jumps;" Greek skandalon "stumbling block;" Middle Irish sescaind "he sprang, jumped," sceinm "a bound, jump").

English lost the classical -d- probably by confusion with suffix -ed (compare lawn (n.1)). Intransitive meaning "follow or agree with the rules of meter" is by 1857. The sense of "look at point by point, examine minutely (as one does when counting metrical feet in poetry)" is recorded by 1540s. New technology brought the meaning "systematically pass over with a scanner," especially to convert into a sequence of signals (1928). The (opposite) sense of "look over quickly, skim" is attested by 1926. Related: Scanned; scanning.

scan (n.)

1706, "a close investigation, an act of scanning," from scan (v.). The meaning "image obtained by scanning" is from 1953.

scandalous (adj.)

late 15c., scandalouse, "disgraceful, shameful, causing scandal or offense," from Old French (Modern French scandaleux), from Medieval Latin scandalosus "scandalous," from Church Latin scandalum (see scandal). Of words or writing, "defaming, libelous," from c. 1600. Related: Scandalously; scandalousness.

scandal (n.)

1580s, "damage to one's reputation," from French scandale, from Late Latin scandalum "cause for offense, stumbling block, temptation," from Greek skandalon "a stumbling block, offense; a trap or snare laid for an enemy."

The Greek noun in this form seems to be attested first in Septuagint (25 times) and the Greek New Testament (15 times) as "cause of moral stumblings," translating a Hebrew word meaning "a noose, a snare."

The Biblical use is presumably figurative or metaphoric, and OED (1989) and others conclude that it is "certainly an old word meaning 'trap' " or a variant of one. Presumably, then, originally "trap with a springing device" (compare related skandalē "stick of a trap," the trigger which is pulled by the cord to spring it), if it is from PIE *skand- "to leap, climb" (see scan (v.), as is proposed in Watkins (Beekes is skeptical); also see slander (n.), which is another form of the same word.

The word is used in "Ancrene Riwle" (c. 1200), scandle, "discredit to religion resulting from bad behavior by a religious person," from Old French escandle, eschandle (12c.); Anglo-French scandle, and Latin scandalum. But the modern word likely is a new borrowing. Cockeram (English Dictionarie, 1623) describes it as "An offence which causeth one to take offence."

The meanings "malicious gossip" and "shameful condition, action, or event; that which causes scandal" are from 1590s; the sense of "person whose conduct is a disgrace" is by 1630s. Scandal sheet "sensational newspaper" is by 1884. Scandal-monger is from 1702.

scandalize (v.)

late 15c. (Caxton), "make a public scandal of" (a sense now obsolete), from Old French scandaliser (12c.), from Church Latin scandalizare, from late Greek skandalizein "make to stumble; tempt; give offense to (someone)," from skandalon (see scandal).

The sense of "shock by doing something improper, offend by some action considered very wrong or outrageous" is by 1640s. Dryden and Shakespeare use simple scandal as a verb. Related: Scandalized; scandalizing; scandalization.

scandalise (v.)

chiefly British English spelling of scandalize. For suffix, see -ize. Related: Scandalised; scandalising.

Scandinavia

1765, from Late Latin Scandinavia (Pliny), Skandinovia (Pomponius Mela), name of a large and fruitful island vaguely located in northern Europe, a mistake (with unetymological -n-) for Scadinavia, which is from a Germanic source (compare Old English Scedenig, Old Norse Skaney "south end of Sweden"), from Proto-Germanic *skadinaujo "Scadia island." The first element is of uncertain origin; the second element is from *aujo "thing on the water" (from PIE root *akwā- "water;" see aqua-). It might have been an island when the word was formed; the coastlines and drainage of the Baltic Sea changed dramatically after the melting of the ice caps.

Scandinavian (adj.)

1784; see Scandinavia + -ian. As a noun, from 1766 of the languages, 1830 of the people; by 1959 in reference to styles of furniture and decor. In U.S. colloquial use sometimes Scandihoovian, Scandiwegan, etc. (OED dates both of those to 1929, used in sea slang, "generally in mild contempt"). Alternative adjective Scandian (1660s) is from Latin Scandia.

scandium (n.)

rare metallic element discovered by spectroscope, 1879, from Modern Latin Scandia (see Scandinavia), used by L.F. Nilson of Uppsala as the name of earth he had isolated, which later was recognized as one of the missing elements predicted by Mendeleev and given the chemical ending -ium. Related: Scandic.

scanner (n.)

1550s, "person who examines critically," agent noun from scan (v.). From 1927 as a type of mechanical device, at first often in television technology, by mid-20c. used of radar and radiation imaging devices; later of computer digital readers.

scansion (n.)

1670s, "action of marking off of verse in metric feet," from Late Latin scansionem (nominative scansio) "a scanning," in classical Latin, "act of climbing," noun of action from past-participle stem of scandere "to climb" (see scan (v.)). There is a 1650s instance in English of the word in the literal sense of "action of climbing up."

scansorial (adj.)

in zoology and ornithology, "of or pertaining to climbing, used for climbing," by 1789, from Latin scansorius "used for climbing," from stem of scandere "to climb" (see scan (v.)).

scantness (n.)

"scant condition or state, dearth, bare sufficiency," late 14c., from scant (adj.) + -ness. Chaucer uses scantity.

scant (adj.)

mid-14c., "short or insufficient in quantity, rather less than is wanted for the purpose," from a Scandinavian source such as Old Norse skamt, neuter of skammr "short, brief," from Proto-Germanic *skamma- (source also of Old English scamm "short," Old High German skemmen "to shorten"), perhaps ultimately "hornless" (from PIE *kem- (1) "hornless;" see hind (n.)).

Also in Middle English as a noun, "dearth, scant supply, scarcity," from Old Norse.

scant (v.)

mid-15c., scanten, "be deficient, fail," also "be sparing," from scant (adj.). From 1560s as "put on scant allowance, limit;" 1580s as "make small or scanty, diminish." The meaning "treat slightingly" is by c. 1600. As an adverb, "scarcely, hardly," by mid-15c.

scanty (adj.)

1650s, "meager, barely sufficient for use;" 1701, "too small, limited in scope, lacking amplitude or extent," from scant (adj.) + -y (2). Related: Scantiness "insufficiency" (1560s). Scanties (n.) "underwear" (especially for women) is attested from 1928.

scantily (adv.)

"inadequately, insufficiently, in scanty measure," 1774; see scanty + -ly (2).

scantling (n.)

1520s, "measured or prescribed size," altered (to conform to -ling words) from earlier scantlon, scantiloun, scantillon "dimension" (c. 1400), earlier a type of mason's rod for measuring thickness (c. 1300), a shortening of Old French escantillon (Modern French échantillon "sample pattern"), which is of uncertain origin; traditionally regarded as a deformed word ultimately from Latin scandere "to climb" (see scan (v.)). The sense has been influenced by scant (adj.). Meaning "small wooden beam" is by 1660s. Related: Scantlings.

scantly (adv.)

late 14c., scantlie, "frugally, sparingly;" c. 1400, "scarcely, narrowly, hardly at all," from scant (adj.) + -ly (2). OED reports it "Exceedingly common from the 15th to the middle of the 17th c.; in the 18th c. it had app. become obsolete; revived in literary use by Scott."

scape (v.)

early 13c., scapen, "to escape (siege, battle, etc.), depart from (confinement, etc.)," a shortened form of escape; frequent in prose up to late 17c. By late 14c. in the general sense "avoid death, peril, punishment, or other danger." Related: Scaped (sometimes 15c.-16c. with strong past tense scope); scaping. As a noun from c. 1300, "an escape."

scape (n.2)

in botany, "shaft, stem," c. 1600, from Latin scapus "a stalk, shaft," cognate with Greek skapos "staff," skēptron "staff, scepter" (see scepter).

scape (n.1)

"scenery view," 1773, abstracted from landscape (n.); -scape as a combining element in word formation is attested by 1796, in prisonscape.

scapegoat (n.)

1530, "goat sent into the wilderness on the Day of Atonement as a symbolic bearer of the sins of the people," coined by Tyndale from scape, a shortening of escape (see scape (v.)) + goat; the whole word translating Latin caper emissarius, itself a translation in Vulgate of Hebrew 'azazel (Leviticus xvi.8, 10, 26), which was read as 'ez ozel "goat that departs," but which others hold to be the proper name of a devil or demon in Jewish mythology (sometimes identified with Canaanite deity Aziz).

Jerome's reading was followed by Martin Luther (der ledige Bock), Symmachus (tragos aperkhomenos), and others (compare French bouc émissaire), but the question of who, or what (or even where) is meant by 'azazel is a vexed one. The Revised Version (1884) simply restores Azazel. But the old translation has its modern defenders:

The transferred meaning "one who is blamed or punished for the mistakes or sins of others" is recorded by 1824; the verb is attested by 1884. Related: Scapegoated; scapegoating.

For the formation, compare scapegrace (which is perhaps modeled on this word), also scape-gallows "one who deserves hanging," scapethrift "spendthrift" (mid-15c.).

scapegrace (n.)

"man of reckless or disorderly habits," 1732, from scape (v.) + grace (n.); as if it meant "one who escapes the grace of God." Possibly influenced by scapegoat.

scaphoid (adj.)

"boat-shaped," applied to several parts in anatomy, 1741, from Modern Latin scaphoides "boat-shaped," from Greek skaphoeidēs, with -oeidēs (see -oid) + skaphē "light boat, skiff;" also "basin, trough, a bowl;" literally "thing dug or cut out" (from PIE *skabh-, from root *(s)kep- "to cut;" see scabies). Related: Scaphoidal (1680s).