scut

[skuht]

noun

a short tail, especially that of a hare, rabbit, or deer.

Origin of scut

1400–50; late Middle English: hare < Old Norse skutr stern

scut

[skuht]

noun Slang.

a worthless, contemptible person.

Origin of scut

1870–75; origin uncertain; perhaps continuation of Scots and dial. scout, scoot, Middle English scoute in same sense; perhaps noun use of Scots scout to spurt, squirt out, scoot

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

Examples from the Web for scut

Historical Examples of scut

Pinch its scut or bite its ears, and when it exclaims, "Miauw!"
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 102, May 21, 1892
Various
Fluff-Button doubled away nimbly from his rush, but even so the dog's jaws snapped together just behind his scut.
Lives of the Fur Folk
M. D. Haviland
The fox sprang at it, too late, for the white fangs closed emptily behind its scut.
Red Eve
H. Rider Haggard
Both male and female have a dark line down the back, rump, and scut.
Rambles in the Islands of Corsica and Sardinia
Thomas Forester
On his head is a little round cap, with a tuft made out of a hare's or rabbit's scut.
The Memoirs of Count Carlo Gozzi; Volume the first
Count Carlo Gozzi

British Dictionary definitions for scut

scut

noun

the short tail of animals such as the deer and rabbit

Word Origin for scut

C15: probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Norse skutr end of a vessel, Icelandic skott tail

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 scut

n.2

term of contempt for a person, 1873, of unknown origin.

n.1

"short, erect tail" (of a rabbit, hare, deer, etc.), 1520s; earlier "a hare" (mid-15c.), perhaps from Old Norse skjota "to shoot (with a weapon), launch, push, shove quickly" (cf. Norwegian skudda "to shove, push"), from PIE *skeud- "to shoot, chase, throw" (see shoot (v.).