scab Meaning & Definition
What Does Scab Mean?
As a noun, scab means An incrustation over a sore, wound, vesicle, or pustule, formed during healing. It can also mean The scabies. As a verb, it means To become covered by a scab or scabs.
Scab at a Glance
| Part of speech | noun, verb |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /skæb/ |
| Synonyms | rat, cicatrize and strikebreaker |
| Plural | scabs |
| Verb forms | scabs, scabbing, scabbed |
Scab Definition (Noun)
- An incrustation over a sore, wound, vesicle, or pustule, formed during healing.
- The scabies.
- The mange, especially when it appears on sheep.
- Any of several different diseases of potatoes producing pits and other damage on their surface, caused by streptomyces bacteria (but formerly believed to be caused by a fungus).
- Common scab, a relatively harmless variety of scab (potato disease) caused by Streptomyces scabies.
- Any one of various more or less destructive fungal diseases that attack cultivated plants, forming dark-colored crustlike spots.
- A slight irregular protuberance which defaces the surface of a casting, caused by the breaking away of a part of the mold.
- A mean, dirty, paltry fellow.
- A worker who acts against trade union policies; any picket crosser (strikebreaker), and especially one with devotion to union busting.
Scab as a Verb
- To become covered by a scab or scabs.
- To form into scabs and be shed, as damaged or diseased skin.
- To remove part of a surface (from).
- To act as a strikebreaker.
- To beg (for), to cadge or bum.
I scabbed some money off a friend.
Noun
- (founding) A slight irregular protuberance which defaces the surface of a casting, caused by the breaking away of a part of the mold.
- A worker who acts against trade union policies, especially a strikebreaker.
Synonyms of Scab
Scab synonyms and antonyms →Scab in a Sentence
I scabbed some money off a friend.
Word Forms & Grammar
scab (countable and uncountable, plural scabs)
scab (third-person singular simple present scabs, present participle scabbing, simple past and past participle scabbed)
Words That Rhyme With Scab
Origin of Scab
From Middle English scabb, scabbe (also as shabbe, schabbe > English shab), from Old English sċeabb and Old Norse skabb, both from Proto-Germanic *skabbaz (“scab, scabies”), from Proto-Indo-European *skabʰ- (“to cut, split, carve, shape”). Doublet of shab. Cognate with German Schabe (“scabies”), Danish skab (“scab, scabies”), Swedish skabb (“scab, scabies”), Latin scabies (“scab, itch, mange”). Related also to Old English scafan (“to scrape, shave”), Latin scabere (“to scratch”), English shabby.
Common Questions About Scab
Is scab a noun or a verb?
Scab is mainly used as a noun, but it can also be used as a verb.
What is another word for scab?
You can replace scab with words such as rat, cicatrize and strikebreaker. See the full list of scab synonyms and antonyms.
What is the plural of scab?
The plural of scab is scabs.
What is the past tense of scab?
The past tense of scab is scabbed. The present participle is scabbing.