Dictionary

scab en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /skæb/

Etymology

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.

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) An incrustation over a sore, wound, vesicle, or pustule, formed during healing.
2. (colloquial, countable, obsolete, uncountable) The scabies.
3. (countable, uncountable) The mange, especially when it appears on sheep.
   • Scab was the terror of the sheep farmer, and the peril of his calling. 1882, James Edwin Thorold Rogers, A History of Agriculture and Prices in England, volume 4, page 306:
4. (uncountable) Any of several different diseases of potatoes producing pits and other damage on their surface, caused by streptomyces bacteria (but formerly believed to be caused by a fungus).
5. (countable, uncountable) Common scab, a relatively harmless variety of scab (potato disease) caused by Streptomyces scabies.
6. (countable, uncountable) Any one of various more or less destructive fungal diseases that attack cultivated plants, forming dark-colored crustlike spots.
7. (countable, qualifier:founding, uncountable) A slight irregular protuberance which defaces the surface of a casting, caused by the breaking away of a part of the mold.
8. (countable, uncountable) A mean, dirty, paltry fellow.
   • I would make thee the / loathsomest scab in Greece. c. 1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Troylus and Cressida”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i]:
   • Out, scab! c. 1601–1602, William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night, act 2, scene 5:
9. (countable, derogatory, slang, uncountable) A worker who acts against trade union policies; any picket crosser (strikebreaker), and especially one with devotion to union busting.
   • When a scab comes down the street, men turn their backs and angels weep in heaven, and the devil shuts the gates of hell to keep him out. c. 1910s, Jack London (attributed), The Scab

Forms

Coordinates

flash · blight

Deriveds

scab union · plum scab · antiscab · scabbish · scablike · scabbery · apple scab · crown scab · scabwort · scabland · scab duty · powdery scab · scabless · scabby

Relateds

scabies · scabrous

Synonyms

ne'er-do-well · fustilarian · blackleg · baddie · makeshift · coistril · blackguard · harlot · undesirable · nithing · heavy · varlet · cad · knobstick · scab · scalie · beggar · antimodel · niding · rogue · cockatrice · evildoer · scapegrace · scoundrel · miscreant · rapscallion · lidderon · scamp · rascal · thug · bad guy · bounder · blacklegger · knave · scum · bastard · villain · scumbag

Translations (145)

pl strup (founding irregularity) · be струп (incrustation over a wound) · it rogna (group of diseases of potatoes) · ga gearbach (common scab) · ca crostera (incrustation over a wound) · bg ко́ричка (incrustation over a wound) · ru мерза́вец (mean, dirty, paltry fellow) · fi hulttio (mean, dirty, paltry fellow) · ast postiella (incrustation over a wound) · fa کبره (incrustation over a wound) · pt casquinha (incrustation over a wound) · ms keropeng (incrustation over a wound) · sv ruva (incrustation over a wound) · sv sårskorpa (incrustation over a wound) · fo skrubb (incrustation over a wound) · nb flein (incrustation over a wound) · hy կեղ (incrustation over a wound) · es costra (incrustation over a wound) · te పక్కు (incrustation over a wound) · pl parch (mean, dirty, paltry fellow) · mi wenewene (incrustation over a wound) · br trouskenn (incrustation over a wound) · de Schorf (incrustation over a wound) · sk chrasta (incrustation over a wound) · be каро́ста (incrustation over a wound) · de Wundschorf (incrustation over a wound) · gl carocha (incrustation over a wound) · nl roofje (incrustation over a wound) · ja 瘡蓋 (incrustation over a wound) · ltg kreve (incrustation over a wound) · pa ਖਰੀਂਡ (incrustation over a wound) · bcl kagan (incrustation over a wound) · az qotur (incrustation over a wound) · ca ronya (fungus disease of plants) · gl trallada (incrustation over a wound) · gl callada (incrustation over a wound) · et kärn (incrustation over a wound) · it spregevole (mean, dirty, paltry fellow) · pl parch (fungus disease of plants) · pa ਅੰਗੂਰ (incrustation over a wound) · eu zolda (incrustation over a wound) · cmn 痂 (incrustation over a wound) · bn মামড়ি (incrustation over a wound) · is hrúður (incrustation over a wound) · ru ко́рочка (incrustation over a wound) · ru струп (incrustation over a wound) · cs strup (incrustation over a wound) · el κρούστα (incrustation over a wound) · cy cramen (incrustation over a wound) · ko 딱지 (incrustation over a wound) · ur کھرنڈ (incrustation over a wound) · izh kärnä (incrustation over a wound) · hy կեղանք (incrustation over a wound) · se ruobbi (incrustation over a wound) · da sårskorpe (incrustation over a wound) · fi rupi (group of diseases of potatoes) · sh krȁsta (incrustation over a wound) · izh rupi (incrustation over a wound) · kmr qemûşk (incrustation over a wound) · uk струп (incrustation over a wound) · de Wundkruste (incrustation over a wound) · es carnero (incrustation over a wound) · ru парша́ (group of diseases of potatoes) · es encostradura (incrustation over a wound) · gl lastra (incrustation over a wound) · es postilla (incrustation over a wound) · lt šãšas (incrustation over a wound) · af roof (incrustation over a wound) · bo རྨ་ཁོག (incrustation over a wound) · oc crosta (incrustation over a wound) · fi rupi (incrustation over a wound) · it sfoglia (founding irregularity) · vi vảy (incrustation over a wound) · ms kuping (incrustation over a wound) · ar جُلْبَة (incrustation over a wound) · kk қабыршақ (incrustation over a wound) · pdt Roof (incrustation over a wound) · nl wondkorst (incrustation over a wound) · de Schorf (fungus disease of plants) · az qoturluq (incrustation over a wound) · lv krevele (incrustation over a wound) · lb Roff (incrustation over a wound) · pt casca (incrustation over a wound) · fi hilse (founding irregularity) · ga gearbach (fungus disease of plants) · km ក្រមរ (incrustation over a wound) · sv skorpa (incrustation over a wound) · eo krusto (incrustation over a wound) · io krusto (incrustation over a wound) · hu var (incrustation over a wound) · it rogna (fungus disease of plants) · it scabbia (common scab) · th ฝ้า (incrustation over a wound) · pl parch (group of diseases of potatoes) · mi paku (incrustation over a wound) · gl carapola (incrustation over a wound) · crh qotur (incrustation over a wound) · ale qadux̂ (incrustation over a wound) · ca crosta (incrustation over a wound) · sq dregë (incrustation over a wound) · ka ქეცი (incrustation over a wound) · gl callón (incrustation over a wound) · fr croûte (incrustation over a wound) · it meschino (mean, dirty, paltry fellow) · hi खुरंड (incrustation over a wound) · fi perunarupi (common scab) · ru коро́ста (incrustation over a wound) · chr ᎤᏣᏍᏓᎸ (incrustation over a wound) · es grano (incrustation over a wound) · et korp (incrustation over a wound) · it rogna (common scab) · tl langib (incrustation over a wound) · fo skabb (incrustation over a wound) · uk коро́ста (incrustation over a wound) · ka მუნი (incrustation over a wound) · sh кра̏ста (incrustation over a wound) · ga gearbach (group of diseases of potatoes) · pl parch zwykły (common scab) · la crusta (incrustation over a wound) · pt cascão (incrustation over a wound) · tr kabuk (incrustation over a wound) · de Kartoffelschorf (common scab) · mi pāpaka (incrustation over a wound) · he גלד (incrustation over a wound) · gl bostela (incrustation over a wound) · pt bostela (incrustation over a wound) · ang sċeabb (incrustation over a wound) · pl strup (incrustation over a wound) · gd sgreab (incrustation over a wound) · ga gearb (incrustation over a wound) · de Kruste (incrustation over a wound) · ba ҡутыр (incrustation over a wound) · ms keruping (incrustation over a wound) · ru парша́ (fungus disease of plants) · it crosta (incrustation over a wound) · cy crach (incrustation over a wound) · cs strupovitost (group of diseases of potatoes) · fi rupi (fungus disease of plants) · ca clivellat (fungus disease of plants) · wyi buburrum (incrustation over a wound) · vec broxa (incrustation over a wound) · el καρκάδι (incrustation over a wound) · ro crustă (incrustation over a wound) · it gretto (mean, dirty, paltry fellow) · pt crosta (incrustation over a wound)

scab en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /skæb/

Etymology

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.

Meanings

1. (intransitive) To become covered by a scab or scabs.
2. (intransitive) To form into scabs and be shed, as damaged or diseased skin.
   • Trev walked over and leaned down, dropping a tender kiss on her forehead where the skin was raw and scabbing from the cut. 2009, Linda Wisdom, Wicked By Any Other Name, page 233:
   • The bark that wasn′t already scabbed off was peppered with beetle holes. 2009, Nancy Lord, Rock, Water, Wild: An Alaskan Life, page 121:
   • 1734, Royal Society of London, The Philosophical Transactions (1719 - 1733) Abridged, Volume 7, page 631, Thoſe Puſtules aroſe, maturated, and ſcabbed off, intirely like the true Pox.
3. (transitive) To remove part of a surface (from).
   • The beds shall be scabbed off to give a solid bearing, no pinning shall be admitted between the backing and the face stones and there shall be a good square joint not exceeding one inch in width, and the face stone shall be scabbed off to allow this. 1891, Canadian Senate, Select Committee on Railways, Telegraphs and Harbours: Proceedings and Evidence, page 265:
4. (intransitive) To act as a strikebreaker.
   • Nobody desires to scab, to give most for least. The ambition of every individual is quite the opposite, to give least for most; and, as a result, living in a tooth-and-nail society, battle royal is waged by the ambitious individuals. 1903 April 5, London, Jack, The Scab:
   • Don't scab for the bosses / Don't listen to their lies / Us poor folks haven't got a chance / Unless we organize. 1931, “Which Side Are You On?”, performed by Florence Patton Reece:
5. (Australia, New-Zealand, UK, informal, transitive) To beg (for), to cadge or bum.
   • 2006, Linda Jaivin, The Infernal Optimist, 2010, HarperCollins Australia, unnumbered page, I′d already used up me mobile credit. I was using a normal phone card, what I got from Hamid, what got it from a church lady what helped the refugees. I didn′t like scabbing from the asylums, but they did get a lotta phone cards.
   • 2004, Niven Govinden, We are the New Romantics, Bloomsbury Publishing, UK, page 143, Finding a spot in a covered seating area that was more bus shelter than tourist-friendly, I unravelled a mother of a joint I′d scabbed off the garçon.
   • I′ve told Fred we can see a movie this weekend, but that just seems like a money-wasting activity. And I can′t keep scabbing off my best friend. 2010, Fiona Wood, Six Impossible Things, page 113:
   • I scabbed some money off a friend.

Forms

Translations (22)

fi kuoriutua (to form into scabs and be shed) · hu csór (slang: to beg or bum) · pl złamać strajk (to act as a strikebreaker) · fi kesiä (to form into scabs and be shed) · pl odłamać (to remove part of a surface) · fi rupeutua (to become covered by a scab or scabs) · fi kuoria (to remove part of a surface) · bg хващам кора (to become covered by a scab or scabs) · fr s'encroûter (to become covered by a scab or scabs) · bg зараствам (to become covered by a scab or scabs) · pl zagoić się (to form into scabs and be shed) · pl wycyganiać (slang: to beg or bum) · fi rikkuroida (to act as a strikebreaker) · tr kabuk bağlamak (to become covered by a scab or scabs) · pl pokryć się strupami (to become covered by a scab or scabs) · pl wycyganić (slang: to beg or bum) · pl odłamywać (to remove part of a surface) · pl łamać strajk (to act as a strikebreaker) · pl goić się (to form into scabs and be shed) · bg обелвам се (to form into scabs and be shed) · pl pokrywać się strupami (to become covered by a scab or scabs) · fi pummata (slang: to beg or bum)