scab
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.
to become covered with a scab.
to act or work as a scab.
Origin of scab
1Other words from scab
- scablike, adjective
Words Nearby scab
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
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 ReviewThat 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 | TimeFrom thousands of feet above, the bay is a broad sheet of blue, flecked by scabs of land and coastline.
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 BeastBefore 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.
The vesicles dry gradually, and between the fourteenth and twentieth days the scab falls off, leaving a pitted scar.
Essays In Pastoral Medicine | Austin MalleyAcross 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 McArthurI think the colonial surgeons call the disease the "bush scab;" and that it is occasioned by a filthy mode of life.
These continue for a short time, break, discharge their matter, and are followed by a blackish scab.
A Treatise on Sheep: | Ambrose BlacklockThere 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
/ (skæb) /
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
to become covered with a scab
(of a road surface) to become loose so that potholes develop
to replace a striking worker
Origin of scab
1Derived forms of scab
- scablike, adjective
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
[ 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
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.
Browse