A- (3) prefix meaning "not," from Gk a-, an- "not," from pie base *ne "not" (see un-)

Schmidt --- type of astronomical telescope lens used for photography, 1939, from Estonian-born Ger. optician Bernhard Voldemar Schmidt (1879-1935), who invented it.

schmoo --- fabulous animal, ready to fulfill man's wants, 1948, invented by U.S. cartoonist Al Capp (Alfred Caplin, 1909-1979).

schmooze --- to chat intimately, 1897, from Yiddish shmuesn "to chat," from shmues "idle talk, chat," from Heb. shemu'oth "news, rumors." Schmooozer is from 1909.

schmuck --- contemptible person, 1892, from E.Yiddish shmok, lit. "penis," from Old Pol. smok "grass snake, dragon." Not the same word as Ger. schmuck "jewelry, adornments," which is related to Low Ger. smuck "supple, tidy, trim, elegant," and related to O.N. smjuga "slip, step through" (see smock). In Jewish homes, the word was "regarded as so vulgar as to be taboo" [Leo Rosten, "The Joys of Yiddish," 1968] and Lenny Bruce wrote that saying it on stage got him arrested on the West Coast "by a Yiddish undercover agent who had been placed in the club several nights running to determine if my use of Yiddish terms was a cover for profanity." Euphemized as schmoe, which was the source of Al Capp's cartoon strip creature the schmoo.

schnapps --- 1818, kind of Holland gin, from Ger. Schnaps, lit. "a mouthful, gulp," from Low Ger. snaps, from snappen "to snap" (see snap).

schnauzer --- breed of terrier, 1923, from Ger. Schnauzer, lit. "growler," from schnauzen "to snarl, growl," from Schnauze "snout, muzzle," which is related to M.E. snute, snoute "snout" (see snout).

schnitzel --- veal cutlet, 1854, from Ger. Schnitzel "cutlet," lit. "a slice," from Schnitz "a cut, slice" (+ -el, dim. suffix), from schnitzen "to carve," frequentative of schneiden "to cut," from O.H.G. snidan, cognate with O.E. sniþan "to cut," from P.Gmc. *snithanan.

schnook --- 1948, probably from Yiddish shnuk "elephant's trunk," or altered from schmuck (q.v.), or perhaps from Ger. schnucke "a small sheep," used in U.S. Yiddish for "a customer easily persuaded, a sucker."

schnorrer --- 1892, from Yiddish, "beggar," from Ger. slang schnurrer, from schnurren "to go begging" (slang), perhaps ult. imitative of the sound of pleading or whining (e.g. sneer, snorkel, snarl).

schnozz --- nose, 1942, from Yiddish shnoitsl, from Ger. Schnauze "snout" (see schnauzer).

scholar --- O.E. scolere "student," from M.L. scholaris, from L.L. scholaris "of a school," from L. schola (see school (1)). The M.L. word widely borrowed, e.g. O.Fr. escoler, Fr. écolier, O.H.G. scuolari, Ger. Schüler. First record of scholarship in sense of "emoluments of a scholar" is 1535.

scholastic --- 1596, "of or pertaining to Scholastic theologians" (Churchmen in the Middle Ages whose theology and philosophy was based on Church Fathers and Aristotle), from M.Fr. scholastique, from L. scholasticus "learned," from Gk. skholastikos "studious, learned" (see school (1)). Meaning "pertaining to schools or to school education" is from 1647. Scholasticism is attested from 1756.

scholiast --- one who writes explanatory notes upon a classical writer, 1583, from L.L. scholiasta, from Late Gk. skholiastes, from skholiazein, from skholion "explanatory note or comment," from skhole (see school (1)).

school (1) --- place of instruction, O.E. scol, from L. schola, from Gk. skhole "school, lecture, discussion," also "leisure, spare time," originally "a holding back, a keeping clear," from skhein "to get" + -ole by analogy with bole "a throw," stole "outfit," etc. The original notion is "leisure," which passed to "otiose discussion," then "place for such." The PIE base is *segh- "to hold, hold in one's power, to have" (see scheme). The L. word was widely borrowed, cf. O.Fr. escole, Fr. école, Sp. escuela, It. scuola, O.H.G. scuola, Ger. Schule, Swed. skola, Gael. sgiol, Welsh ysgol, Rus. shkola. Replaced O.E. larhus "lore house." Meaning "students attending a school" is attested from c.1300; sense of "school building" is first recorded c.1590. Sense of "people united by a general similarity of principles and methods" is from 1612; hence school of thought (1864). The verb is attested from 1573. School of hard knocks "rough experience in life" is recorded from 1912 (in George Ade); to tell tales out of school "betray damaging secrets" is from 1546. Schoolmarm is attested from 1831, U.S. colloquial; used figuratively for "patronizingly and priggishly instructing" from 1887.

school (2) --- group of fish, c.1400, from M.Du. schole "group of fish or other animals," cognate with O.E. scolu "band, troop, school of fish," from W.Gmc. *skulo- (see shoal (2)).

schooner --- 1716, perhaps from a New England verb related to Scottish scon "to send over water, to skip stones." Skeat relates this dial. verb to shunt. Spelling probably influenced by Du., but Du. schoener is a loan-word from English, as are Ger. Schoner, Fr. schooner, Swed. skonert. Said to have originated in Gloucester, Mass., shipyard.

schottische --- round dance resembling a polka, 1849, from Ger. Schottische, from schottische "Scottish," from Schotte "a native of Scotland," from O.H.G. Scotto, from L.L. Scottus (see Scot). The pronunciation is French.

schuhplattler --- lively Alpine folk dance, 1874, from Ger., from schuh "shoe" + south Ger. dial. plattler, from platteln "to dance."

Schutzstaffel --- internal security force of Nazi Germany, 1930, from Ger., lit. "defense squadron." Better known by its initials, S.S.

schvartze --- black person (somewhat derogatory), 1961, from Yiddish, from schvarts "black" (see swarthy). Perhaps originally a code word to refer to black servants when they were within earshot, as Ger. cognate Schwarze apparently was in the mid-19c.:

schwa --- 1895, from Ger. Schwa, ult. from Heb. shewa "a neutral vowel quality," lit. "emptiness."

Schwenkfeldian --- 1562, from Casper Schwenkfeld (1490-1561), Silesian Protestant mystic who founded the sect. Schwenkfelder is attested from 1882.

sciamachy --- fighting with shadows, shadow-boxing 1623, from Gk. skiamakhia "shadow-fighting, a sham fight" but perhaps lit. "fighting in the shade" (i.e., in school), from skia "shade, shadow" + makhe "battle."

sciatica --- 1398, from M.L. sciatica, in sciatica passio "sciatic disease," from fem. of sciaticus "sciatic," from L. ischiadicus "of pain in the hip," from Gk. iskhiadikos, from iskhias (gen. iskhiados) "pain in the hips," from iskhion "hip joint." Sciatic (adj.) is attested from 1547.

science --- c.1300, "knowledge (of something) acquired by study," also "a particular branch of knowledge," from O.Fr. science, from L. scientia "knowledge," from sciens (gen. scientis), prp. of scire "to know," probably originally "to separate one thing from another, to distinguish," related to scindere "to cut, divide," from PIE base *skei- (cf. Gk. skhizein "to split, rend, cleave," Goth. skaidan, O.E. sceadan "to divide, separate;" see shed (v.)). Modern sense of "non-arts studies" is attested from 1678. The distinction is commonly understood as between theoretical truth (Gk. episteme) and methods for effecting practical results (tekhne), but science sometimes is used for practical applications and art for applications of skill. Main modern (restricted) sense of "body of regular or methodical observations or propositions ... concerning any subject or speculation" is attested from 1725; in 17c.-18c. this concept commonly was called philosophy. To blind (someone) with science "confuse by the use of big words or complex explanations" is attested from 1937, originally noted as a phrase from Australia and New Zealand.

science fiction --- 1929 (first attested in "Science Wonder Stories" magazine), though there is an isolated use from 1851; abbreviated form sci-fi is from 1955.

scientific --- 1589, from M.Fr. scientifique, from M.L. scientificus "pertaining to science," from L. scientia "knowledge" (see science) + -ficus "making" + facere "to make" (see factitious). Originally used to translate Gk. epistemonikos "making knowledge" in Aristotle's "Ethics." First record of scientific revolution is from 1803; scientific method is from 1854; scientific notation is from 1961.

scientist --- 1834, coined from L. scientia (see science) by Eng. philosopher William Whewell (1794-1866) by analogy with artist.

Scientology --- 1951, system of beliefs founded by L. Ron Hubbard, perhaps directly from L. scientia (see science), or perhaps via Ger. scientologie (A. Nordenholz, 1937).

scimitar --- 1548, from M.Fr. cimeterre (15c.) or It. scimitarra, of uncertain origin. Turkish would be the expected source, but no such word has been found there. Perhaps from Pers. shimshir (pronounced "shamsher," cf. Gk. sampsera "a barbarian sword," from this source), but OED finds this "unsatisfactory as to form." Many early variations; the modern spelling is from influence of the It. form of the word.

scintilla --- 1692, from fig. use of L. scintilla "particle of fire, spark, glittering speck, atom," probably from PIE *ski-nto-, from base *skai- "to shine, to gleam" (cf. Goth. skeinan, O.E. scinan "to shine").

scintillate --- 1623, from L. scintillatus, pp. of scintillare "to sparkle," from scintilla "spark" (see scintilla).

sciolist --- 1615, "smatterer, pretender to knowledge," from L.L. sciolus "one who knows a little," dim. of scius "knowing," from scire "to know" (see science).

sciomancy --- divination by communication with shades of the dead, 1623, from Mod.L. sciomantia, from Gk. skio- "shadow" + manteia (see -mancy).

scion --- c.1305, "a shoot or twig," from O.Fr. sion, cion (Mod.Fr. scion, Picard chion), of uncertain origin. Perhaps from Frank. *kid-, from P.Gmc. *kidon-, from PIE *geie- "to sprout, split, open." Fig. use is attested from 1590; meaning "an heir, a descendant" is from 1814, from the "family tree" image.

scirrhous --- 1563, from Fr. scirrheux (16c., Mod.Fr. squirreux), from Mod.L. scirrhosus, from L. scirros "a hard swelling, tumor," from Gk. skirrhos "hard tumor," from skiros (adj.) "hard," of unknown origin.

scissors --- c.1384, sisoures, from O.Fr. cisoires (pl.) "shears," from V.L. *cisoria (pl.) "cutting instrument," from *cisus (in compounds such as L. excisus, pp. of excidere "to cutout"), ult. from L. cædere "to cut." Spelling with sc- is 16c., from influence of M.L. scissor "tailor," from L. "carver, cutter," from pp. stem of scindere "to split." Usually with pair of (attested from c.1400) when indication of just one is required, but a sing. form without the -s was occasionally used (c.1440, cysowre). In Scotland, shears answers for all sizes; but in England generally that word is used only for those too large to be worked by one hand. Sense in wrestling is from 1904. The verb scissor "to cut with scissors" is recorded from 1612; in the wrestling sense it is attested from 1968. Oh scissors! was a 19c. exclamation of impatience or disgust.

scleroderma --- 1866, from Mod.L., from Gk. skleros "hard" (see sclerosis) + derma "skin"

sclerosis --- morbid hardening of the tissue, 1398, from M.L. sclirosis "a hardness, hard tumor," from Gk. sklerosis "hardening," from skleros "hard," related to skellein "to dry up, parch," from PIE *skle-ro-, from base *skele- "to parch, wither."

scoff (v.) --- c.1380, earlier as a noun, "contemptuous ridicule" (c.1300), from a Scand. source, cf. O.N. skaup, skop "mockery," M.Dan. skof "jest, mockery;" perhaps from P.Gmc. *skub-, *skuf- (cf. O.E. scop "poet," O.H.G. scoph "fiction, sport, jest, derision;" see scold), from PIE *skeub- "to shove."

scofflaw --- 1924, from scoff (q.v.) + law. The winning entry in a national contest during Prohibition to coin a word to characterize a person who drinks illegally, chosen from more than 25,000 entries; the $200 winning prize was split between two contestants who sent in the word separately, Henry Irving Dale and Miss Kate L. Butler. Other similar attempts did not stick, cf. pitilacker (1926), winning entry in Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals contest to establish a scolding word for one who is cruel to animals (submitted by Mrs. M. McIlvaine Bready of Mickleton, N.J.).

scold (n.) --- c.1150, "person of ribald speech," also "person fond of abusive language," from O.N. skald "poet" (see skald). The sense evolution may reflect the fact that Gmc. poets (like their Celtic counterparts) were famously feared for their ability to lampoon and mock (e.g. skaldskapr "poetry," also, in Icelandic law books, "libel in verse"). From the beginning, used especially of women. The verb is attested from 1377.

scoliosis --- 1706, from Mod.L., from Gk. skoliosis "crookedness," from skolios "bent, curved," from PIE base *(s)qel- "crooked, curved, bent, perverted."

sconce --- c.1392, "candlestick with a screen," aphetic of O.Fr. esconse "lantern, hiding place," from M.L. sconsa, from L. absconsa, fem. pp. of abscondere "to hide." Meaning "metal bracket-candlestick fastened to a wall" is recorded from c.1450.

scone --- thin, flat cake, 1513, Scottish, probably from Du. schoon "bread," in schoon brood "fine bread," from M.Du. schoonbroot, from schoon, scone "bright, beautiful" (see sheen) + broot (see bread).

scoop --- c.1330, "utensil for bailing out" (n.), also (v.) "to bail out;" from M.Du. schope "bucket for bailing water," from W.Gmc. *skopo (cf. M.L.G. schope "ladle"), from P.Gmc. *skop-, from PIE *(s)kep- "to cut, to scrape, to hack." Also from Low Ger. scheppen (v.) "to draw water," from P.Gmc. *skuppon, from PIE root *skub- (cf. O.E. sceofl "shovel," O.S. skufla; see shove). The journalistic sense of "news published before a rival" is first recorded 1874, Amer.Eng., from earlier commercial slang sense of "appropriate so as to exclude competitors" (c.1850).

scoot --- 1758, possibly from a Scand. source (cf. O.N. skjota "to shoot") related to shoot (q.v.). Scooter, the child's vehicle, first attested 1919.

scope (1) --- extent, 1534, "room to act," from It. scopo "aim, purpose, object, thing aimed at, mark, target," from L. scopus, from Gk. skopos "aim, target, watcher," from PIE *spek- "to observe" (cf. Skt. spasati "sees;" Avestan spasyeiti "spies;" Gk. skopein "behold, look, consider," skeptesthai "to look at;" L. specere "to look at;" O.H.G. spehhon "to spy," Ger. spähen "to spy"). Sense of "distance the mind can reach, extent of view" first recorded c.1600.

scope (2) --- instrument for viewing, 1872, abstracted from telescope, microscope, etc., from Gk. skopein "to look" (see scope (1)). Earlier used as a shortening of horoscope (1603). The verb is recorded from 1807.

scorbutic (adj.) --- 1655, from Mod.L. scorbuticus "pertaining to scurvy," from scorbutus "scurvy," from Fr. scorbut, apparently of Du. (scheurbuik) or Low Ger. (Scharbock) origin; see scurvy.

scorch --- c.1200, perhaps from O.N. skorpna "to be shriveled," cognate with O.E. scrimman "to shrink, dry up." Or perhaps from O.Fr. escorchier "to strip off the skin," from V.L. excorticare "to flay," from ex- + L. cortex (gen. corticis) "cork;" but OED finds this not likely. Scorcher "very hot day" first attested 1874. Scorched earth military strategy is 1937, translation of Chinese jiaotu, used against the Japanese in their advance into China.

score --- late O.E. scoru "twenty," from O.N. skor "mark, tally," also, in Icelandic, "twenty," from P.Gmc. *skura-, from PIE base *(s)ker- "to cut" (cf. O.E. sceran; see shear). The connecting notion is perhaps counting large numbers (of sheep, etc.) with a notch in a stick for each 20. This counting notion is the origin of the modern sense in sports (1742, originally in whist). In O.Fr., "twenty" (vint) or a multiple of it could be used as a base, e.g. vint et doze ("32"), dous vinz et diz ("50"). Meaning "printed piece of music" first recorded 1701, from the practice of connecting related staves by scores of lines. The verb meaning "to cut with incisions or notches" is attested from c.1400; the slang sense "achieve intercourse" first recorded 1960.

scorn (n.) --- c.1200, aphetic of O.Fr. escarn "mockery, derision, contempt," a common Romanic word (cf. Sp. escarnio, It. scherno) of Gmc. origin, from P.Gmc. *skarnjan "mock, deride" (cf. O.H.G. skern "mockery, jest, sport," M.H.G. scherzen "to jump with joy"). Probably influenced by O.Fr. escorne "affront, disgrace," which is a back-formation from escorner, lit. "to break off (someone's) horns," from V.L. *excornare (source of It. scornare "treat with contempt"), from L. ex- "without" + cornu "horn." The verb also is attested from c.1200.

Scorpio --- zodiacal constellation, 1391, from L. scorpio "scorpion" (see scorpion). The meaning "person born under or ruled by the sign of Scorpio" is recorded from 1968.

scorpion --- c.1225, from O.Fr. scorpion, from L. scorpionem (nom. scorpio), extended form of scorpius, from Gk. skorpios "a scorpion," from PIE base *(s)ker- "to cut" (see shear). The Sp. alacran "scorpion" is from Ar. al-aqrab.

Scot --- O.E. Scottas (pl.) "inhabitants of Ireland, Irishmen," from L.L. Scotti (c.400), of uncertain origin, perhaps from Celtic (but answering to no known tribal name; Ir. Scots appears to be a L. borrowing). The name followed the Irish tribe which invaded Scotland after the Romans withdrew from Britain in 423 C.E., and after the time of Alfred the Great the O.E. word described Irish who had settled in the northwest of Britain.

Scotch (adj.) --- of Scotland, 1591, contraction of Scottish. Disdained by the Scottish because of the many insulting and pejorative formations made from it by the English (e.g. Scotch attorney, a Jamaica term from 1864 for strangler vines). As a noun, elliptical for Scotch whisky, it is attested from 1778. Scotch-Irish is from 1876; more properly Scots-Irish (1972), from Scots (c.1352), the older adj., which is from Scottis, the northern variant of Scottish. Scotch Tape was said to be so called because at first it had adhesive only on the edges (to make it easier to remove as a masking tape in car paint jobs), which was interpreted as a sign of cheapness on the part of the manufacturers.

scotch (v.) --- stamp out, crush, 1825, earlier "make harmless for a time" (1798; a sense that derives from the reading of "Macbeth" III.ii.13), from scocchen "to cut, score, gash" (c.1412), perhaps from Anglo-Fr. escocher, O.Fr. cocher "to notch, nick," from coche "a notch, groove," probably from L. coccum "berry of the scarlet oak," which appears notched, from Gk. kokkos.

scot-free --- O.E. scotfreo "exempt from royal tax," from scot "royal tax," from O.N. skot "contribution, reckoning, shot" + freo (see free). Related to O.E. sceotan "to pay, contribute," Du. schot, Ger. Schoß "tax, contribution" (see shot). O.Fr. escot (Fr. écot) "share" is a Gmc. loan-word.

Scotland Yard --- used allusively for "London Metropolitan Police," 1864, from name of short street off Whitehall, London; from 1829 to 1890 headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Force, hence, the force itself, especially the detective branch. After 1890, located in "New Scotland Yard."

Scots --- see Scotch (adj.).

Scottie --- type of dog, 1907, short for Scotch terrier (1810).

scoundrel --- 1589, skowndrell, of unknown origin. One suggestion is Anglo-Fr. escoundre (O.Fr. escondre) "to hide, hide oneself," from V.L. *excondere, from L. condere "to hide" (see abscond), The main objection to this theory is that hundreds of years lie between the two words.

scour (1) --- cleanse by rubbing, c.1300, from M.Du. scuren "to polish, clean," and from O.Fr. escurer, both from L.L. excurare "clean off," lit. "take good care of," from L. ex- "out" + curare "care for" (see cure). Possibly originally a technical term among Flemish workmen in England.

scour (2) --- move quickly in search of something, 1297, probably from O.N. skyra "rush in," related to skur "storm, shower." Perhaps infl. by or blended with O.Fr. escorre "to run out," from L. excurrere (see excursion). Sense development probably infl. by scour (1).

scourge (n.) --- c.1225, from Anglo-Fr. escorge, back-formation from O.Fr. escorgier "to whip," from V.L. *excorrigiare, from L. ex- "out, off" + corrigia "thong, shoelace," in this case "whip," probably from a Gaulish word related to O.Ir. cuimrech "fetter." The verb is attested from c.1225. Scourge of God, title given by later generations to Attila the Hun, is attested from 1387, from L. flagellum Dei.

scouse --- 1840, short for lobscouse "a sailor's stew made of meat, vegetables, and hardtack," of uncertain origin (cf. loblolly); transf. sense of "native or inhabitant of Liverpool" is recorded from 1945. In ref to the regional dialect, from 1963.

scout (v1.) --- c.1300, from O.Fr. escouter "to listen, heed" (Mod.Fr. écouter), from L. auscultare "to listen to, give heed to." Noun meaning "person who scouts" first attested 1555. Boy Scout is from 1908.

scout (v2.) --- to reject with scorn, 1605, of Scand. origin (cf. O.N. skuta, skute "taunt"), probably from a source related to shout.

scow --- large flat-bottomed boat, 1780, from Du. schouw "a ferry boat, punt," from M.Du. scouwe, related to O.E. scaldan, O.S. scaldan "to push (a boat) from shore."

scowl (v.) --- 1340, from a Scand. source (cf. Norw. skule "look furtively, squint, look embarrassed," Dan. skule "to scowl"). Probably related to O.E. sceolh "wry, oblique," O.H.G. scelah "curved," Ger. scheel "squint-eyed;" from PIE base *sqel- "crooked, curved, bent." The noun is attested from 1500.

scrabble --- 1537, "to scrawl, scribble," from Du. schrabbelen, frequentative of schrabben "to scratch," from the same root as scrape (q.v.). Meaning "to struggle, scramble" first recorded 1638. The game Scrabble is from 1950, proprietary name (reg. U.S.), probably from scribble-scrabble "hasty writing" (1589), a reduplication of scribble.

scraggly --- 1869, from scrag "a raw-bones; a skinny person" (1542), probably from a Scand. source (cf. Norw. skragg "a lean person," dialectal Swed. skragge "old and torn thing," Dan. skrog "hull, carcass"); perhaps related to shrink (q.v.). Scraggy "gaunt and wasted" is attested from 1611.

scram --- 1928, U.S. slang, either a shortened form of scramble (q.v.) or from Ger. schramm, imperative sing. of schrammen "depart."

scramble --- 1586, perhaps a nasalized variant of scrabble (q.v.), in its alternate sense of "to struggle, to scrape quickly." Broadcasting sense is attested from 1927. The noun is recorded from 1674; meaning "rapid take-off" first recorded 1940, R.A.F. slang. Scrambled eggs first recorded 1864.

scrannel --- thin, meager, 1637; any modern use traces to John Milton ("Lycidas," 124), who may have invented it from dial. scranny (see scrawny). Or from a Scand. source akin to Norw. skran "rubbish."

scrap (1) --- small piece, 1387, from O.N. skrap "scraps, trifles," from skrapa "to scrape" (see scrape). Meaning "remains of metal produced after rolling or casting" is from 1790. The verb meaning "to make into scrap" is recorded from 1891. Scrapbook first recorded 1825. Scrap iron first recorded 1823.

scrap (2) --- fight, 1846, possibly a variant of scrape (q.v.) on the notion of "an abrasive encounter." But Weekley suggests obs. colloq. scrap "scheme, villainy, vile intention" (1679). The verb is recorded from 1874.

scrape --- c.1303, probably from O.N. skrapa "to scrape, erase," from P.Gmc. *skrapojan (cf. O.E. scrapian "to scrape," Du. schrapen, Ger. schrappen). The noun is attested from c.1440. Meaning "embarrassing or awkward predicament" is recorded from 1709, as OED suggests, "probably from the notion of being 'scraped' in going through a narrow passage." To scrape the bottom of the barrel in figurative sense is from 1942.

scrapple --- cornmeal boiled in scraps of pork, 1855, probably a dim. form of scrap (1).

scrappy --- consisting of scraps, 1837, from scrap (1). Meaning inclined to fight" (1895) is from scrap (2).

Scratch --- in Old Scratch "the Devil," 1740, is from earlier Scrat, from O.N. skratte "goblin, monster," a word which was used in late O.E. for "hermaphrodite" (cf. O.H.G. scrato "satyr, wood demon").