Scruff
/skrʌf/noun
The back of the neck or the loose, rough hair on it.
Did you know?The exact origin is uncertain, but English has long used related rough-sounding forms for things that are shaggy, scabby, or coarse, which is why the word feels so physically textured.
Etymological Timeline
17th Century
English
scruff
“rough or scabby skin; the back of the neck”
Early Modern English
English
scruff
“a rough, scabby, or shabby condition; later, the nape of the neck”
Middle English
English
scruf
“roughness or scurf; scaly skin”
Old English
English
scryf
“scurf, dandruff, or scaly crust on the skin”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*skurfa-
“scurf, crust, or scaling of the skin”