"S" Word Origins

scrimmage

Origin

A worn-down form of "skirmish," originally meaning a minor scuffle before narrowing to its football sense.

scrimp

Origin

From Scots scrimp (“meager”), from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German schrimpen (“to shrivel up, wrinkle”), from Old Dutch *scrimpan, from Frankish *skrimpan, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *skrimpaną (“to shrink”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to cut off”), related to Old English sċrimman (“to shrink”) and sċrincan (“to shrivel up”). Doublet of shrink, shrimp, and shrim.

scrip

Old French

From Old French escrepe ("purse, bag"), from Old Norse skreppa — related to the word "scarf." The meaning shifted from the bag itself to the paper documents once carried in it.

script

Latin

From Latin scrīptum ("something written"), the past participle of scrībere ("to write") — the same root that gives us "scribe" and "scripture."

Scripture

Latin

From Latin scrīptūra ("a writing"), from scrībere ("to write") — originally meaning simply "something written," narrowed over time to mean holy writings specifically.

scriptwriter

Origin

From script + writer — someone whose job is producing scripts.

scrivener

Origin

From Middle English scryvener, alteration of scryveyn, from Anglo-Norman scrivein (“professional penman, copyist”), from Old French escrivain, from Vulgar Latin *scriba, *scribanem, from Latin scriba, from scrībō (“to write”).

scroll

Old French

From Old French escroe ("strip of parchment"), from a Frankish word meaning "a shred" — the same root that gives us "shred" and "escrow."

scrooge

Origin · 1843

From Ebenezer Scrooge, the miserly central character of Charles Dickens's 1843 novella A Christmas Carol.

scrot

Origin

Perhaps related to scrote and/or scrotty.

scrote

Origin

Clipping of scrotum.

scrotum

Latin

A direct borrowing from Latin scrōtum, referring to the same body part.

scrounge

Origin · 1915

Emerged around 1915 as a variant of a dialect word for prying about or pilfering; it was popularized by soldiers during the First World War.

scrub

Middle English

A Late Middle English variant of "shrub," originally describing a stunted tree — the cleaning sense developed separately, likely from the rough scrubbing brush used for scouring.

scrubbed

Origin

From scrub + -ed.

scrubber

Origin

From scrub + -er, simply meaning "something or someone that scrubs."

scrubbing

Origin

From scrub + -ing.

scrubby

Origin

From scrub + -y.

scrubland

Origin

From scrub + land.

scruff

Origin

Related to "scurf," originally referring to flaky skin, though the "back of the neck" sense is now the dominant one.

scruffbag

Origin

From scruff + bag.

scruffy

Origin

From scruff + -y, originally describing something flaky or unkempt-looking, like scurf on skin.

scrum

Origin

Either a back-formation from or an apocopic form of scrummage, a variant of scrimmage.

scrumptious

Origin

Likely built from "scrimp" (to be frugal) plus a suffix suggesting abundance, though some scholars instead trace it to "sumptuous" — the two possible origins may have influenced each other.

scrunch

Origin

Attested since about 1800. Probably an intensive form of crunch; ultimately derived from the onomatopoeia of a crumpling sound; or perhaps a blend of squeeze + crunch.

scruple

Origin

From Old French scrupule, from Latin scrūpulus (“(literally) a small sharp or pointed stone; uneasiness of mind, anxiety, doubt, trouble; scruple”) and scrūpulum (“one twenty-fourth of an ounce”), diminutives of scrūpus (“a rough or sharp stone; anxiety, uneasiness”); perhaps akin to Ancient Greek σκύρος (skúros, “the chippings of stone”), from ξυρόν (xurón, “razor”), from ξύω (xúō, “to scrape”), from Proto-Indo-European *ksew-. Doublet of escropulo and escrupulo.

scrupulosity

Origin

From scrupulo(u)s + -ity, from Latin scrupulositas.

scrupulous

Latin

From Latin scrupulosus, related to scrupulus (a small sharp stone) — the image of a nagging pebble in one's shoe evolved into the sense of a nagging moral conscience.

scrupulously

Origin

From scrupulous + -ly, from Middle French scrupuleux, from Latin scrūpulōsus (“careful, scrupulous”), from scrūpulus (“anxiety, uneasiness”), diminutive from scrūpus (“sharp stone; anxiety”) + -ulus.

scrutinise

Origin

From scrutiny + -ise.

scrutinize

Latin

From Latin scrutari, meaning to search or examine, itself from scruta, meaning rubbish or old rags, from the idea of rummaging through them.

scrutiny

Latin

From Latin scrūtinium ("a search, inquiry"), from scrūtārī ("to search thoroughly"), ultimately connected to a word for sifting through rubbish — literally, digging through the trash for answers.

scryer

Origin

From scry + -er.

scuba

Origin

Originally an acronym for "self-contained underwater breathing apparatus," now used as an ordinary word without anyone spelling it out.

scud

Origin

First attested in 1530, of unknown origin but perhaps from Middle English scut (“rabbit, rabbit's tail”) or from Middle Dutch schudden (“to shake”), ultimately of Scandinavian origin.

Scudder

Origin

From scud (to move fast and lightly) + -er.

scuddick

Origin

Perhaps from sceat (“a small Saxon coin”).

scuff

Old Norse

From a Scots word meaning "to touch lightly, graze, or hit," possibly linked to an Old Norse word meaning "to shove."

scuffle

Swedish

Likely from a Scandinavian root related to "to push" or "to shove," as seen in Swedish skuff ("a push").

scull

Middle English

From Middle English sculle, of uncertain origin, possibly linked to an Old Norse word meaning "to rinse" or "wash."

scullery

Latin

From an Anglo-Norman word for the office of a servant in charge of dishes, ultimately from Latin scutella ("dish, bowl").

Scully

Irish

As a surname, an anglicised spelling of the Irish Ó Scolaidhe.

sculpt

Latin

From French sculpter, ultimately from Latin sculpere, "to carve or cut in stone."

sculptor

Latin

Borrowed from Latin sculptor, from sculpere ("to carve") plus the agent suffix -or.

sculpture

Latin

From Old French sculpture, from Latin sculptura, from sculpere, "to carve or cut in stone."

scum

Middle English

From Middle English scum, related to Middle Dutch schume ("foam"); ultimately from a Germanic root meaning "froth" or "to cover." Related to "skim."

scumbag

Origin · 1953

From scum + bag; first recorded around 1953, originally slang for a condom.

scumble

Origin

Uncertain; perhaps from scum with frequentative -le.