scar

scar · noun, verb¹

1. Proto-Germanic · derived from*skardaz“gap, cut, fragment”
2. Old Norse · derived fromskarð“notch, chink, gap”
3. Middle English · derived fromskar“incision, cut, fissure”
4. Ancient Greek · derived fromἐσχάρα“scab left from a burn”
5. Late Latin · derived fromeschara
6. Old French · derived fromescare“scab”
7. Middle English · inherited fromscar
8. English todayscar

From Middle English scar, scarre, a conflation of Old French escare (“scab”) (from Late Latin eschara, from Ancient Greek ἐσχάρα (eskhára, “scab left from a burn”), and thus a doublet of eschar) and Middle English skar (“incision, cut, fissure”) (from Old Norse skarð (“notch, chink, gap”), from Proto-Germanic *skardaz (“gap, cut, fragment”)). Akin to Old Norse skor (“notch, score”), Old English sċeard (“gap, cut, notch”). More at shard. Displaced native Old English dolg, dolgswæþ, and wundswaþu (“scar”). Not related to scarify.

scar · noun²

1. Old Norse · derived fromsker“an isolated rock in the sea; skerry”
2. Middle English · inherited fromscarre
3. English todayscar

From Middle English scarre, skarr, skerre, sker, a borrowing from Old Norse sker (“an isolated rock in the sea; skerry”). Cognate with Icelandic sker, Norwegian skjær, Swedish skär, Danish skær, German Schäre. Doublet of skerry and scaur.

scar · noun³

1. Ancient Greek · derived fromσκάρος“parrot wrasse, Sparisoma cretense, syn. Scarus cretensis”
2. Latin · borrowed fromscarus“a kind of fish”
3. English todayscar

From Latin scarus (“a kind of fish”), from Ancient Greek σκάρος (skáros, “parrot wrasse, Sparisoma cretense, syn. Scarus cretensis”).

Words from the same roots