Scurry
/ˈskʌri/noun
To move quickly with short, hasty steps; also, a hurried movement or rush.
Did you know?Scurry is generally traced to an expressive English formation, likely influenced by older words for rapid, scratching movement rather than a single dramatic “occult” root.
Etymological Timeline
Early Modern English
English
scurry
“to hurry or move briskly in a nervous, bustling way”
Middle English
English
scurien / skurren
“to move hastily or briskly”
Old Norse
ON
skorra
“to make a scraping or rattling sound”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*skur-
“a root associated with cutting, scraping, or rough movement”
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sker-
“to cut or shear”