scruff
1[ skruhf ]
/ skrʌf /
noun
the nape or back of the neck.
Nearby words
scrubby, scrubdown, scrubland, scrubs, scrubwoman, scruff, scruffy, scrum, scrum half, scrummage, scrummie
Origin of scruff
11780–90; variant of dial. scuff, scuft < Dutch schoft horse's withers
Definition for scruff (2 of 2)
scruff
2[ skruhf ]
/ skrʌf /
noun Metallurgy.
(in tin-plating) dross formed in the bath.
Origin of scruff
2metathetic variant of scurf
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for scruff
British Dictionary definitions for scruff (1 of 2)
scruff
1/ (skrʌf) /
noun
the nape of the neck (esp in the phrase by the scruff of the neck)
Word Origin for scruff
C18: variant of scuft, perhaps from Old Norse skoft hair; related to Old High German scuft
British Dictionary definitions for scruff (2 of 2)
scruff
2/ (skrʌf) /
noun
informal an untidy scruffy person
informal a disreputable person, ruffian
another name for scum (def. 3)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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Word Origin and History for scruff
scruff
"nape of the neck," 1790, altered (by influence of scruff "crust") from scuft (1787), probably related to North Frisian skuft "back of the neck of a horse" and Dutch schoft "withers of a horse," from a common Germanic source (cf. Old Norse skopt "hair of the head," Gothic skuft, Middle High German schopf, German Schopf). Another theory holds it to be a variant of scurf.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper