scrape

Where does the word "scrape" come from? It comes from Old Norse skrapa, passing through Middle English before entering English (late 1300s onward).

Scrape’s story begins in Old Norse: skrapa meant “to scrape, erase.” Meant to scrape or erase a surface, reinforcing a similar Old English word. By early 1200s, the word had taken hold in Middle English as scrapen. First used for erasing writing with a knife. It reached English by late 1300s onward as scrape. Broadened to removing any outer layer with a rough tool. Today, scrape means to drag a sharp or rough object across a surface, removing part of it.

1. Stage 1 · Old Norse · medieval skrapa "to scrape, erase", meant to scrape or erase a surface, reinforcing a similar Old English word.
2. Stage 2 · Middle English · early 1200s scrapen "to make erasures, to erase", first used for erasing writing with a knife.
3. Stage 3 · English · late 1300s onward scrape "to drag something rough or sharp across a surface", broadened to removing any outer layer with a rough tool.