scalp

Where does the word "scalp" come from? It comes from Old Norse skalpr, passing through Middle English before entering English (1600s).

Scalp’s story begins in Old Norse: skalpr meant “sheath, shell.” Originally a sheath or shell-like casing; the sense 'skull cover' seems to come from the idea of a hard outer shell. By 1300s, the word had taken hold in Middle English as scalp. First recorded in northern English, where Norse settlers had left a deep mark on the dialect, meaning the top of the head or skull. It reached English by 1600s as scalp. Narrowed to the skin and hair of the head; the grim trophy sense arose from colonial-era North American warfare. Today, scalp means the skin and hair covering the top of the head.

1. Stage 1 · Old Norse · medieval skalpr "sheath, shell", originally a sheath or shell-like casing; the sense 'skull cover' seems to come from the idea of a hard outer shell.
2. Stage 2 · Middle English · 1300s scalp "the crown of the head", first recorded in northern English, where Norse settlers had left a deep mark on the dialect, meaning the top of the head or skull.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1600s scalp "the skin covering the top of the head", narrowed to the skin and hair of the head; the grim trophy sense arose from colonial-era North American warfare.