scab [ skab ] SHOW IPA
/ skæb / PHONETIC RESPELLING
noun the incrustation that forms over a sore or wound during healing.
Veterinary Pathology a mangy disease in animals, especially sheep; scabies. Compare itch(def 10) . Plant Pathology a disease of plants characterized by crustlike lesions on the affected parts and caused by a fungus or bacterium. one of these crustlike lesions. a worker who refuses to join a labor union or to participate in a union strike, who takes a striking worker's place on the job, or the like.
Slang a rascal or scoundrel.
Metallurgy a projection or roughness on an ingot or casting from a defective mold. a surface defect on an iron or steel piece resulting from the rolling in of scale. Carpentry a short, flat piece of wood used for various purposes, as binding two timbers butted together or strengthening a timber at a weak spot.
SEE MORE SEE LESS verb (used without object), scabbed, scab·bing. to become covered with a scab.
to act or work as a scab.
RELATED WORDS blister ,
flaw ,
disfigurement ,
wound ,
defect ,
crater ,
discoloration ,
layer ,
surface ,
skin ,
leaf ,
exfoliate ,
sliver ,
track ,
hurt ,
mark ,
pockmark ,
cicatrice ,
cicatrix ,
eruption
Origin of scab 1200–50; 1800–10 for def 4 ;
Middle English <
Old Norse skabb scab, itch; cf.
shabby ,
shave Related forms scab·like , adjective Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for scab Species do not burrow in the skin, but produce a scab similar to sheep scab .
Scab Johnny says he loaned Mac a dry outfit an' the old boy dug out for breakfast at seven o'clock an' ain't been around since.
Kjellin rustled up a scab crew and kept the mob off the vessel at the point of a gun.
Do you know, Guy, I think we shall have no scab in the fold this year.
SEE MORE EXAMPLES SEE FEWER EXAMPLES
British Dictionary definitions for scab noun the dried crusty surface of a healing skin wound or sore
a contagious disease of sheep, a form of mange, caused by a mite (Psoroptes communis )
a fungal disease of plants characterized by crusty spots on the fruits, leaves, etc
derogatory Also called: blackleg a person who refuses to support a trade union's actions, esp one who replaces a worker who is on strike (as modifier ) scab labour SEE MORE SEE LESS verb scabs , scabbing or scabbed (intr) to become covered with a scab
(of a road surface) to become loose so that potholes develop
to replace a striking worker
SEE MORE SEE LESS Derived Forms scablike , adjective Word Origin for scab Old English sceabb; related to Old Norse skabb, Latin scabiēs, Middle Low German schabbe scoundrel, German schäbig shabby
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for scab n. mid-13c., "skin disease," developed from Old English sceabb "scab, itch" (related to scafan "to shave, scrape, scratch") and from Old Norse skabb "scab, itch," both from Proto-Germanic *skab- "scratch, shave," from PIE *(s)kep- "to cut, scrape, hack" (see scabies ). Sense reinforced by cognate Latin scabies "scab, itch, mange" (from scabere "to scratch").
Meaning "crust which forms over a wound or sore" is first attested c.1400. Meaning "strikebreaker" first recorded 1806, from earlier sense of "person who refuses to join a trade union" (1777), probably from meaning "despicable person" (1580s), possibly borrowed in this sense from Middle Dutch.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for scab n. A crust formed from and covering a healing wound.
Scabies or mange in domestic animals or livestock, especially sheep.
v. To become covered with scabs or a scab.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Science definitions for scab A crust that forms over a healing wound, consisting of dried blood, plasma, and other secretions.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Culture definitions for scab Informally, a worker who stays on the job while others go on strike . Also, a worker brought in to keep a plant operating when its work force is on strike. (See strikebreaker .)
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
