scab

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*skabʰ-“to cut, split, carve, shape”
2. Proto-Germanic · inherited from*skabbaz“scab, scabies”
3. Old Norse · derived fromskabb
4. Old English · inherited fromsċeabb
5. Middle English · inherited fromscabb
6. English todayscab

From Middle English scabb, scabbe (also as shabbe, schabbe > English shab), from Old English sċeabb and Old Norse skabb, both from Proto-Germanic *skabbaz (“scab, scabies”), from Proto-Indo-European *skabʰ- (“to cut, split, carve, shape”). Doublet of shab. Cognate with German Schabe (“scabies”), Danish skab (“scab, scabies”), Swedish skabb (“scab, scabies”), Latin scabies (“scab, itch, mange”). Related also to Old English scafan (“to scrape, shave”), Latin scabere (“to scratch”), English shabby.

Words from the same roots