English dictionary

scarify Meaning & Definition

/ˈskæ.ɹɪˌfaɪ/

What Does Scarify Mean?

Scarify is a verb that means To remove thatch (build-up of organic matter on the soil) from a lawn, to dethatch. It is also used to mean To make scratches or cuts on.

Scarify: Key Facts

Part of speech	verb
Pronunciation	//ˈskæ.ɹɪˌfaɪ//
Syllables	1
Verb forms	scarifies, scarifying, scarified

Scarify Definition (Verb)

To remove thatch (build-up of organic matter on the soil) from a lawn, to dethatch.
To make scratches or cuts on.
A combing tool is used to scarify, cross-scratch, or score the surface of a scratch coat or undercoat of plaster.
To damage the testa (seed coat) of a seed by cutting, scraping, chemicals, hot water, or fire to allow permeation of water and faster germination.
To break up, loosen, or roughen the surface of a field or road or a hard surface.
To scratch, etch, burn, or cut designs into one's skin as a form of body modification.
To harrow the feelings.
To scar.
Denude, or lay waste to.

Verb

To frighten; to scare, to terrify.

Synonyms of Scarify

The source does not list synonyms for this entry.

Scarify synonyms and antonyms →

Antonyms of Scarify

No antonyms or near antonyms are listed by the available sources for this entry.

Scarify in a Sentence

A combing tool is used to scarify, cross-scratch, or score the surface of a scratch coat or undercoat of plaster.

Word Forms & Grammar

scarify (third-person singular simple present scarifies, present participle scarifying, simple past and past participle scarified)

Origin of Scarify

Origin 1: From French scarifier, from Late Latin scarificāre, from Latin scarifāre (“to scarify”), from Ancient Greek σκαριφᾶσθαι (skariphâsthai, “scratch”), from σκάριφος (skáriphos, “writing, drawing, sketching”). Unrelated to scar, though influenced by it by analogy (particularly the nonstandard sense “to scar”).

Origin 2: Related to scribe (verb) and shrive, via Latin scrībō, from the same Proto-Indo-European *skreybʰ- plus Latin -ō (denominative verb suffix).