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Scarf

//skɑːɹf// noun, verb, slang

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A long, often knitted, garment worn around the neck.

    "Now that she had rested and had fed from the luncheon tray Mrs. Broome had just removed, she had reverted to her normal gaiety. She looked cool in a grey tailored cotton dress with a terracotta scarf and shoes and her hair a black silk helmet."

  2. 2
    A type of joint in woodworking, formed by two shaped ends that fit into or onto each other. transitive
  3. 3
    A cormorant. Scotland, transitive
  4. 4
    Archaic form of scurf (“skin disease; skin flakes”). alt-of, archaic, countable, transitive, uncountable
  5. 5
    a garment worn around the head or neck or shoulders for warmth or decoration wordnet
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  1. 6
    A headscarf.
  2. 7
    A groove on one side of a sewing machine needle. transitive
  3. 8
    a joint made by notching the ends of two pieces of timber or metal so that they will lock together end-to-end wordnet
  4. 9
    A neckcloth or cravat. dated
  5. 10
    A dip or notch or cut made in the trunk of a tree to direct its fall when felling. transitive
Verb
  1. 1
    To throw on loosely; to put on like a scarf. transitive

    "Vp from my Cabin, / My ſea-gowne scarft about me in the darke / Gropt I to find out them, […]"

  2. 2
    To shape by grinding or oxyfuel torch cutting. transitive
  3. 3
    To eat very quickly. US, slang, transitive

    "You sure scarfed that pizza."

  4. 4
    wrap in or adorn with a scarf wordnet
  5. 5
    To dress with a scarf, or as with a scarf; to cover with a loose wrapping. transitive

    "She scarfed her head."

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  1. 6
    To form a scarf on the end or edge of, as for a joint in timber, forming a "V" groove for welding adjacent metal plates, metal rods, etc. transitive
  2. 7
    unite by a scarf joint wordnet
  3. 8
    To cover as or like a scarf. transitive

    "A cowl scarfed her shoulders."

  4. 9
    To unite, as two pieces of timber or metal, by a scarf joint. transitive
  5. 10
    masturbate while strangling oneself wordnet

Etymology

Etymology 1

Probably from Old Northern French escarpe (compare Old French escharpe (“pilgrim's purse suspended from the neck”), which see). The verb is derived from the noun. Doublet of scrip.

Etymology 2

Probably from Old Northern French escarpe (compare Old French escharpe (“pilgrim's purse suspended from the neck”), which see). The verb is derived from the noun. Doublet of scrip.

Etymology 3

Of uncertain origin. Possibly from Old Norse skarfr, derivative of skera (“to cut”).

Etymology 4

Of uncertain origin. Possibly from Old Norse skarfr, derivative of skera (“to cut”).

Etymology 5

Generally thought to be a variant, attested since the 1950s, of scoff (“eat (quickly)”) (of which scorf is another attested variant), itself a variant of scaff. Sometimes alternatively suggested to be a dialectal survival of Old English scearfian, sceorfan (“gnaw, bite”) (compare scurf).

Etymology 6

From Old Norse skarfr.

See also for "scarf"

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