Scoff
/skɒf/noun
To speak or act toward someone or something with contempt or mocking disdain.
Did you know?Scoff is one of those words whose exact origin is uncertain, but it has long carried the sharp social force of contempt, and English has used it since the 16th century to mean both mocking laughter and derision.
Etymological Timeline
16th Century
English
scoff
“to mock, jeer, or treat with contempt”
16th Century
English
scoff
“ridicule expressed with contemptuous laughter”
Middle English
English
scoffen
“to mock or deride”
Uncertain origin
?
scoff
“possibly imitative or related to northern dialect forms meaning to laugh or deride”