Score
/skɔːr/noun
A count or tally of points, marks, or results; also a musical notation or a successful achievement.
Did you know?The word goes back to Old Norse *skor* meaning a notch or incision, and the same root helped shape the idea of counting by cuts—language literally turned scratches into numbers.
Etymological Timeline
Old Norse
ON
skor
“a notch, incision, or tally mark”
Middle English
ME
scor
“a notch or mark used in counting”
Late Middle English
ME
score
“a reckoning, account, or number of twenty”
Early Modern English
English
score
“a tally, record, or later a musical composition written down in parts”
Modern English
English
score
“a tally, result, musical notation, or success”