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scabrous

[ skab-ruhs ]
/ ˈskæb rəs /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR scabrous ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

having a rough surface because of minute points or projections.
indecent or scandalous; risqué; obscene: scabrous books.
full of difficulties.

RELATED WORDS

blotchy, coarse, notched, scaly, encrusted, lepidote, scabby, immodest, indecent, indiscreet, licentious, obscene, scandalous, shocking, unconventional, risque, knotty, rough, rugged, treacherous

Nearby words

  1. scabietic,
  2. scabious,
  3. scabland,
  4. scablands,
  5. scabrid,
  6. scabrously,
  7. scad,
  8. scads,
  9. scaevola,
  10. scafell pike

Origin of scabrous

1575–85; < Latin scab(e)r rough + -ous
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for scabrous

British Dictionary definitions for scabrous

scabrous

/ (ˈskeɪbrəs) /

adjective

roughened because of small projections; scaly
indelicate, indecent, or salaciousscabrous humour
difficult to deal with; knotty
Derived Formsscabrously, adverbscabrousness, noun

Word Origin for scabrous

C17: from Latin scaber rough; related to scabies
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 scabrous

scabrous

adj.

1570s, "harsh, unmusical" (implied in scabrously), from Late Latin scabrosus "rough," from Latin scaber "rough, scaly," related to scabere "to scratch, scrape" (see scabies). Sense in English evolved to "vulgar" (1881), "squalid" (1939), and "nasty, repulsive" (c.1951). Classical literal sense of "rough, rugged" attested in English from 1650s. Related: Scabrously; scabrousness.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper