scrip

[ skrip ]

/ skrɪp /

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noun

a receipt, certificate, list, or similar brief piece of writing.

a scrap of paper.

Finance.

a certificate representing a fraction of a share of stock.
a certificate to be exchanged for goods, as at a company store.
a certificate indicating the right of the holder to receive payment later in the form of cash, goods, or land.

paper currency in denominations of less than one dollar, formerly issued in the United States.

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Origin of scrip

First recorded in 1610–20; earliest sense “scrap of paper” perhaps a variant of scrap¹; subsequent sense development shows influence of script and subscription, with def. 3a specifically a shortening of subscription receipt

OTHER WORDS FROM scrip

scripless, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH scrip

scrip , script

Words nearby scrip

scrimpy, scrimshander, scrimshank, scrimshaw, scrinium, scrip, scrip dividend, scrip issue, scripophile, scripophily, Scripps

Other definitions for scrip (2 of 3)

scrip²

[ skrip ]

/ skrɪp /

noun Archaic.

a bag or wallet carried by wayfarers.

Origin of scrip

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English scrip(pe), skreppe “bag, satchel, pilgrim's purse,” from Old French escharpe, escherpe, escreppe, Medieval Latin scrippa, scrippum, scerpa, schrippa “pilgrim's pack,” via Frankish from Latin scirpea “large reed basket,” derivative of scirpus “reed, bulrush”

Other definitions for scrip (3 of 3)

scrip³

[ skrip ]

/ skrɪp /

noun Informal.

a prescription, as for a drug.

Origin of scrip

First recorded in 1915–20; shortening of prescription

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use scrip in a sentence

Buying prescription drugs without a scrip is a serious legal offense, as Rush Limbaugh could tell you.
Don't Legalize Marijuana: The Case for More Paternalism in America|David Frum|January 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Part of it was covered by scrip, a few quarters were taken by war settlers, the balance by speculators.
Proceedings of the Second National Conservation Congress|Various
The village pastor delivered the staff into his hands, girded him with a scarf, and attached to it a leathern scrip.
Beacon Lights of History, Volume V|John Lord
He was a fated man from that moment; his life was not worth three cents in Confederate scrip.
Nurse and Spy in the Union Army|S. Emma E. Edmonds

The output is seized in its entirety, and not limited to the extent accruing to British scrip holders only.
Origin of the Anglo-Boer War Revealed (2nd ed.)|C. H. Thomas
A broad leather strap hanging from his shoulder supported a scrip or satchel such as travellers were wont to carry.
The White Company|Arthur Conan Doyle

British Dictionary definitions for scrip (1 of 3)

scrip¹

/ (skrɪp) /

noun

a written certificate, list, etc

a small scrap, esp of paper with writing on it

finance

a certificate representing a claim to part of a share of stock
the shares allocated in a bonus issue

Word Origin for scrip

C18: in some senses, probably from script; otherwise, short for subscription receipt

British Dictionary definitions for scrip (2 of 3)

scrip²

/ (skrɪp) /

noun

archaic a small bag or wallet, as carried by pilgrims

Word Origin for scrip

C14: from Old French escreppe, variant of escarpe scarf 1

British Dictionary definitions for scrip (3 of 3)

scrip³

script

/ (skrɪp) /

noun

informal a medical prescription

Word Origin for scrip

C20: short for prescription

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