Scissor
/ˈsɪz.ər/noun
A cutting tool with two blades pivoted together, or one blade of such a tool.
Did you know?The English word ultimately comes from Latin *scindere* (“to split, tear apart”), the same ancient root behind several words for division and separation across Indo-European languages.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*skei-
“to cut, split, divide”
Latin
Latin
scindere
“to split, tear apart”
Late Latin
Latin
cisoria
“cutting instruments; shears”
Old French
Old French
cisoires
“shears, scissors”
Middle English
English
scissors
“shears; cutting instrument”
Modern English
English
scissor
“a cutting tool with two blades pivoted together”