scalp

[ skalp ]

/ skælp /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR scalp ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the integument of the upper part of the head, usually including the associated subcutaneous structures.

a part of this integument with the accompanying hair, severed from the head of an enemy as a sign of victory, as by some North American Indians and others during the colonial and frontier periods in the U.S.

any token of victory.

the integument on the top of the head of an animal.

Informal. a small profit made in quick buying and selling.

verb (used with object)

to cut or tear the scalp from.

Informal.

to resell (tickets, merchandise, etc.) at higher than the official rates.
to buy and sell (stocks) so as to make small quick profits.

to plane down the surfaces of (an ingot, billet, or slab).

verb (used without object)

Informal. to scalp tickets, stocks, or the like.

RELATED WORDS

fleece, overcharge

Nearby words

scalloping, scally, scallywag, scalogram, scaloppine, scalp, scalp lock, scalpel, scalpellic, scalper, scalping

Origin of scalp

1250–1300; Middle English (north) (noun), perhaps < Old Norse skālpr sheath (hence, metaphorically a covering)

Related formsscalp·er, nounscalp·less, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for scalp

On average, humans lose between 50-150 scalp hairs each day.
Birth Control Made My Hair Fall Out, and I’m Not the Only One|Molly Oswaks|October 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
You see people in war paint or doing the tomahawk chop and saying, “Scalp him.”
Amanda Blackhorse Is ‘Confident’ Snyder Will Lose His Redskins Appeal|Robert Silverman|June 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Shivering, she sat up in bed and ran a hand across her scalp.
Read ‘The Winds of Winter,’ George R.R. Martin's New 'Game of Thrones' Chapter|Culture Team|March 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Feel your scalp tingle as my voice gently surprises you from behind.
ASMR and the Rise of the Whisper Fetish|Aurora Snow|December 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST

His scalp was freckled and shiny, with wispy tufts of hair above his ears.
Arafat’s Polonium Poisoning Mystery Resurfaces|Christopher Dickey|November 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Two Crows said that the pole rested on the scalp when it was in the lodge.
Omaha sociology (1884 N 03 / 1881-1882 (pages 205-370))|James Owen Dorsey
It did me good to see the folks venture gingerly up, expecting us to scalp them, I suppose, and bear him off.
White Dandy; or, Master and I|Velma Caldwell Melville
After a while he began to recover; large patches of hair fell from his scalp, leaving his head thickly covered with bald spots.
The Twin Hells|John N. Reynolds
The majority vouchsafed no reply; others, fancying it was pomatum for ringworm of the scalp, refused testily.
Bouvard and Pcuchet, part 2|Gustave Flaubert
He had sustained a scalp wound where a sharp-edged rock had hit him.
The Iron Boys in the Mines|James R. Mears

British Dictionary definitions for scalp

scalp

/ (skælp) /

noun

anatomy the skin and subcutaneous tissue covering the top of the head

(among North American Indians) a part of this removed as a trophy from a slain enemy

a trophy or token signifying conquest

hunting, mainly US a piece of hide cut from the head of a victim as a trophy or as proof of killing in order to collect a bounty

informal, mainly US a small speculative profit taken in quick transactions

Scot dialect a projection of bare rock from vegetation

verb (tr)

to cut the scalp from

informal, mainly US to purchase and resell (securities) quickly so as to make several small profits

informal to buy (tickets) cheaply and resell at an inflated price

Derived Formsscalper, noun

Word Origin for scalp

C13: probably from Scandinavian; compare Old Norse skalpr sheath, Middle Dutch schelpe, Danish skalp husk

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 scalp (1 of 2)

scalp

mid-14c., "top of the head (including hair)," presumably from a Scandinavian source (though exact cognates are wanting) related to Old Norse skalli "a bald head," skalpr "sheath, scabbard,"from the source of scale (n.1). French scalpe, German, Danish, Swedish skalp are from English. Meaning "head skin and hair as proof of death or a victory trophy" is from c.1600.

Word Origin and History for scalp (1 of 2)

scalp

"to cut off (someone's) scalp," 1670s, from scalp (n.), originally in reference to North American Indians. For ticket re-selling sense, see scalper. Related: Scalped; scalping. Cf. German skalpern, Danish skalpere, Swedish skalpera. French scalper is from Germanic. Similarity to Latin scalpere "to cut, carve" is accidental.

scalp

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of scalp

Examples from the Web for scalp

British Dictionary definitions for scalp

scalp

noun

verb (tr)

Word Origin for scalp

Word Origin and History for scalp (1 of 2)

scalp

Word Origin and History for scalp (1 of 2)

scalp

Medicine definitions for scalp

scalp

n.