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scratches

American

[skrach-iz] / ˈskrætʃ ɪz /

noun

(used with a singular verb)

a disease of horses marked by dry rifts or chaps that appear on the skin near the fetlock, behind the knee, or in front of the hock.

scratches British

/ ˈskrætʃɪz /

noun

Also called: cracked heels. mud fever. (functioning as singular) a disease of horses characterized by dermatitis in the region of the fetlock

"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

Etymology

Origin of scratches

First recorded in 1605–15; scratch, -s ³

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

They came where the stone was smoothest: scratches, lines, curves, and strikes.

From Literature

A stub of a candle flickers, sending weak light across the deep scratches on his desk.

From Literature

She scratches her paws against the window and presses her squashed-up nose against the glass.

From Literature

She takes out her laptop and her science notebook and as she gets organized, I start sanding the top of a small side table that has water stains and scratches.

From Literature

He grasps the oud’s neck and scratches it with his fingernails before he lets me have it again.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023