scab

[ skab ]

/ skæb /

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See synonyms for: scab / scabbed / scabbing on Thesaurus.com

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.

verb (used without object), scabbed, scab·bing.

to become covered with a scab.

to act or work as a scab.

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Origin of scab

1200–50; 1800–10 for def. 4; Middle English <Old Norse skabb scab, itch; cf. shabby, shave

OTHER WORDS FROM scab

scablike, adjective

Words nearby scab

SBN, SBS, SBU, SbW, Sc, scab, scabbard, scabbardfish, scabbed, scabble, scabby

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use scab in a sentence

This wound eventually forms a scab and can shed virus, so it must be properly cared for.
Everything you need to know about the monkeypox vaccines|Jessica Hamzelou|August 3, 2022|MIT Technology Review
That positive diagnosis is also a signal that the infected person should begin home isolation and continue until all lesions have healed, scabs have fallen off and a new layer of skin has formed.
Why It's Way Harder to Get Tested for Monkeypox Than It Should Be|Jeffrey Kluger|July 22, 2022|Time
From thousands of feet above, the bay is a broad sheet of blue, flecked by scabs of land and coastline.
Volunteer pilots fly in the holiday cheer|Christina Tkacik|December 20, 2021|Washington Post
At the same time, Gen Z’s army of TikTok creators linked virtual arms with striking workers at Kellogg’s, using their internet savvy to hobble the breakfast titan’s efforts to undermine the strike by hiring scab workers.
The Left-Wing Cause That Democrats Are Scared to Embrace|Max Burns|December 17, 2021|The Daily Beast

Before vaccines, physicians would blow smallpox scabs up people’s noses or stab them with pus-laced needles to build up their resistance to the virus.
It might not always take years to develop vaccines|Ula Chrobak|November 19, 2020|Popular-Science
Late last week, Baez was successful in scratching the ugly scab of Anthony family dysfunction.
Casey’s Dysfunctional Lawyer|Diane Dimond|June 27, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The vesicles dry gradually, and between the fourteenth and twentieth days the scab falls off, leaving a pitted scar.
Essays In Pastoral Medicine|Austin Malley
Across his back there was a furrow through his fur, and a long scab where a bullet had raked him.
The Red Cow and Her Friends|Peter McArthur
I think the colonial surgeons call the disease the "bush scab;" and that it is occasioned by a filthy mode of life.
The Mirror of Literature, Amusement, and Instruction, Vol. 13, Issue 368, May 2, 1829|Various
These continue for a short time, break, discharge their matter, and are followed by a blackish scab.
A Treatise on Sheep:|Ambrose Blacklock
There is not the least bit of sense in belonging to a union if you are to become a "scab" when you go to the ballot-box.
The Common Sense of Socialism|John Spargo

British Dictionary definitions for scab

scab

/ (skæb) /

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

a despicable person

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

Derived forms of scab

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

Scientific definitions for scab

scab

[ skăb ]

A crust that forms over a healing wound, consisting of dried blood, plasma, and other secretions.

Cultural definitions for scab

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.)

scab

Origin of scab

OTHER WORDS FROM scab

Words nearby scab

Words related to scab

How to use scab in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for scab

Derived forms of scab

Word Origin for scab

Scientific definitions for scab

Cultural definitions for scab