Scab
/skæb/noun
A crust that forms over a healing wound, or a contemptuous term for a worker who refuses to strike.
Did you know?The word is historically linked to Latin *scabies*, meaning “itch” or “itching skin disease,” which is also the source of *scabies*—a reminder that English often turns bodily affliction into everyday vocabulary.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*(s)kep-
“To cut, scrape, or split.”
Latin
Latin
scabere
“To scratch or scrape.”
Latin
Latin
scabies
“An itch, scurf, or skin disease causing scratching.”
Old French
Old French
escabe
“A scab or crust on a wound.”
Middle English
English
scabbe
“A scab; later also a contemptuous label for a strikebreaker.”
Modern English
English
scab
“A crust that forms over a healing wound; also a strikebreaker.”