scarf

English

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /skɑːf/
  • (US) IPA(key): /skɑːɹf/
  • Rhymes: -ɑː(ɹ)f

Etymology 1

Probably from Old Northern French escarpe (compare Old French escherpe (“pilgrim's purse suspended from the neck”)), possibly from Frankish *skirpja or of other Germanic origin (compare Old Norse skreppa (“small bag, wallet, satchel”)). Alternatively from Medieval Latin scirpa (“little woven bag of rushes”), from Latin scirpus (“rush, bullrush”).[1] The verb is derived from the noun.

Noun

scarf (plural scarves or scarfs)

  1. A long, often knitted, garment worn around the neck.
    • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 2, in The China Governess‎:
      Now that she had rested and had fed from the luncheon tray Mrs. Broome had just removed, she had reverted to her normal gaiety.  She looked cool in a grey tailored cotton dress with a terracotta scarf and shoes and her hair a black silk helmet.
  2. A headscarf.
  3. (dated) A neckcloth or cravat.
Derived terms
Descendants
Translations

Verb

scarf (third-person singular simple present scarfs, present participle scarfing, simple past and past participle scarfed)

  1. To throw on loosely; to put on like a scarf.
  2. To dress with a scarf, or as with a scarf; to cover with a loose wrapping.

Etymology 2

A scarf joint
Sewing machine needles with scarf shown on right

Of uncertain origin. Possibly from Old Norse skarfr, derivative of skera (“to cut”).

Noun

scarf (plural scarfs)

  1. A type of joint in woodworking.
  2. A groove on one side of a sewing machine needle.
  3. A dip or notch or cut made in the trunk of a tree to direct its fall when felling.
Synonyms
Translations

Verb

scarf (third-person singular simple present scarfs, present participle scarfing, simple past and past participle scarfed)

  1. To shape by grinding.
  2. To form a scarf on the end or edge of, as for a joint in timber, forming a "V" groove for welding adjacent metal plates, metal rods, etc.
  3. To unite, as two pieces of timber or metal, by a scarf joint.

Etymology 3

Of imitative origin, or a variant of scoff. Alternatively from Old English sceorfan (“gnaw, bite”).

Verb

scarf (third-person singular simple present scarfs, present participle scarfing, simple past and past participle scarfed)

  1. (transitive, US, slang) To eat very quickly.
    You sure scarfed that pizza.
Usage notes

The more usual form in the UK is scoff.

Derived terms
Translations

Etymology 4

Noun

scarf

  1. (Scotland) A cormorant.

Part or all of this entry has been imported from the 1913 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.
(See the entry for scarf in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.)

References

  • scarf in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913

Anagrams

Old High German

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *skarpaz, whence also Old Saxon skarp, Old English scearp, Old Norse skarpr. Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kerb-, from *(s)ker- (“to cut”).

Adjective

scarf

  1. sharp

Descendants

This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.