Dictionary.com

scab

[ skab ]
/ skæb /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR scab ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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. 2020

Words related to scab

blister, flaw, disfigurement, wound, defect, crater, discoloration, layer, surface, skin, leaf, exfoliate, sliver, track, hurt, mark, pockmark, cicatrice, cicatrix, eruption

Example sentences from the Web for scab

British Dictionary definitions for scab

scab
/ (skæb) /

noun

verb scabs, scabbing or scabbed (intr)

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

Medical definitions for scab

scab
[ skăb ]

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.

Scientific definitions for scab

scab
[ skăb ]

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.

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.)

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.