Scuffle
/ˈskʌf.əl/noun
A brief, rough struggle or fight, usually involving pushing or shoving.
Did you know?The word likely developed from an earlier dialectal verb meaning to strike or scrape, and its exact early history is murky enough that scholars still debate some of its path.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*skuf-
“a root connected with pushing, shoving, or scraping”
Old English
OE
scuffian
“to shove, push roughly, or strike”
Middle English
ME
scufflen
“to struggle, push, or move clumsily”
16th Century
English
scuffle
“to struggle or fight in a rough, disorderly way”
Modern English
English
scuffle
“a brief rough fight or struggle”