Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Scarf
Scarf
(skärf)
, Noun.
[Icel.
skarfr
.] A cormorant.
[Scot.]
Scarf
,Noun.
pl.
Scarfs
, rarely Scarves
(skärvz)
. [Cf. OF.
escharpe
a pilgrim’s scrip, or wallet (hanging about the neck), F. écharpe
sash, scarf; probably from OHG. scharpe
pocket; also (from the French) Dan. skiaerf
; Sw. skärp
, Prov. G. schärfe
, LG. scherf
, G. schärpe
; and also AS. scearf
a fragment; possibly akin to E. scrip
a wallet. Cf. Scarp
a scarf.] An article of dress of a light and decorative character, worn loosely over the shoulders or about the neck or the waist; a light shawl or handkerchief for the neck; also, a cravat; a neckcloth.
Put on your hood and
scarf
. Swift.
With care about the banners,
scarves
, and staves. R. Browning.
Scarf
,Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Scarfed
; p. pr. & vb. n.
Scarfing
.] 1.
To throw on loosely; to put on like a scarf.
“My sea-gown scarfed about me.” Shak.
2.
To dress with a scarf, or as with a scarf; to cover with a loose wrapping.
Shak.
Scarf
,Verb.
T.
[Sw.
skarfva
to eke out, to join together, skarf
a seam, joint; cf. Dan. skarre
to joint, to unite timber, Icel. skara
to clinch the planks of a boat, G. scharben
to chop, to cut small.] (a)
To form a scarf on the end or edge of, as for a joint in timber, metal rods, etc.
(b)
To unite, as two pieces of timber or metal, by a scarf joint.
Scarf
,Noun.
(a)
In a piece which is to be united to another by a scarf joint, the part of the end or edge that is tapered off, rabbeted, or notched so as to be thinner than the rest of the piece.
(b)
A scarf joint.
Scarf joint
(a)
A joint made by overlapping and bolting or locking together the ends of two pieces of timber that are halved, notched, or cut away so that they will fit each other and form a lengthened beam of the same size at the junction as elsewhere
. (b)
A joint formed by welding, riveting, or brazing together the overlapping scarfed ends, or edges, of metal rods, sheets, etc.
– Scarf weld
. See under
Weld
.Webster 1828 Edition
Scarf
SCARF
,Noun.
plu.
Something that hangs loose upon the shoulders; as a piece of cloth.
Put on your hood and scarf.
Definition 2024
scarf
scarf
English
Noun
scarf (plural scarves or scarfs)
- A long, often knitted, garment worn around the neck.
- 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 2, in The China Governess:
- Now that she had rested and had fed from the luncheon tray Mrs. Broome had just removed, she had reverted to her normal gaiety. She looked cool in a grey tailored cotton dress with a terracotta scarf and shoes and her hair a black silk helmet.
-
- A headscarf.
- (dated) A neckcloth or cravat.
Derived terms
Translations
long garment worn around the neck
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headscarf — see headscarf
Verb
scarf (third-person singular simple present scarfs, present participle scarfing, simple past and past participle scarfed)
- To throw on loosely; to put on like a scarf.
- 1599-1601, William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 5, Scene 2:
- My sea-gown scarfed about me.
- 1599-1601, William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 5, Scene 2:
- To dress with a scarf, or as with a scarf; to cover with a loose wrapping.
Etymology 2
A scarf joint
Sewing machine needles with scarf shown on right
Of uncertain origin. Possibly from Old Norse skarfr, derivative of skera (“to cut”).
Noun
scarf (plural scarfs)
- A type of joint in woodworking.
- A groove on one side of a sewing machine needle.
- A dip or notch or cut made in the trunk of a tree to direct its fall when felling.
Translations
a cut made into the trunk of a tree when felling
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Synonyms
Verb
scarf (third-person singular simple present scarfs, present participle scarfing, simple past and past participle scarfed)
- To shape by grinding.
- To form a scarf on the end or edge of, as for a joint in timber, forming a "V" groove for welding adjacent metal plates, metal rods, etc.
- To unite, as two pieces of timber or metal, by a scarf joint.
Etymology 3
Of imitative origin, or a variant of scoff. Alternatively from Old English sceorfan (“gnaw, bite”).
Verb
scarf (third-person singular simple present scarfs, present participle scarfing, simple past and past participle scarfed)
Usage notes
The more usual form in the UK is scoff.
Derived terms
Translations
eat very quickly
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Etymology 4
Noun
scarf
References
- scarf in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913
Old High German
Etymology
From Proto-Germanic *skarpaz, whence also Old Saxon skarp, Old English scearp, Old Norse skarpr. Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kerb(h), from *(s)ker- (“to cut”).
Adjective
scarf