scrimshaw
/ˈskɹɪmˌʃɔ/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.96 in modern English
19
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
2
Syllables
8
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To create (a small ornamental handicraft also called a scrimshaw) by carving or engraving on bone (originally whalebone or whales' teeth), ivory, or other materials.
Transitive verb
noun
A small ornamental handicraft created by carving or engraving bone (originally whalebone or whales' teeth), ivory, or other materials, formerly produced by sailors on whaling ships to pass the time on long voyages.
Countable
noun
The manufacture of small ornamental handicrafts by carving or engraving bone, ivory, or other materials, formerly by sailors on whaling ships to pass the time on long voyages.
Uncountable
name
A surname.
Example Sentences
Etymology
The origin of the verb is unknown, but it has possibly been influenced by the surname Scrimshaw. Various etymologies have been proposed (for example, that it derives from scrimshank (“(Britain, military slang) to be idle, to shirk duty”)), but the Oxford English Dictionary does not consider any of them convincing. Following the surname theory, Etymonline ultimately derives the word probably from Old French escremisseor (“fencing-master”). The noun is probably derived from the verb.
Origin
- Source language: Old French
Word Breakdown
- Root: escremisseor
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈskɹɪmˌʃɔ/
- British English: /ˈskɹɪmʃɔː/