scissors
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an assortment of scissors 
A scissors
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Middle English sisours, sisoures (attested since 1350–1400), from Old French cisoires, from Vulgar Latin *cīsōria, plural of Late Latin cīsōrium (“cutting tool”) (compare chisel); from Latin word root -cīsus (compare excise) or caesus, past participle of caedō (“to cut”). Partially displaced native Old English sċēara (“scissors, shears”), whence shears.
- The current spelling, from the 16th century, is due to association with Medieval Latin scissor (“tailor”), from Latin carrying the meaning “carver, cutter”, from scindere (“to split”).
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈsɪzəz/
- (US) enPR: sĭzʹərz, IPA(key): /ˈsɪzɚz/
Audio (US): (file) Audio (UK): (file) - Rhymes: -ɪzə(ɹ)z
Noun
scissors pl (plural only, attributive scissor)
- (countable, usually construed as plural) A tool used for cutting thin material, consisting of two crossing blades attached at a pivot point in such a way that the blades slide across each other when the handles are closed.
- Those scissors are sharp. (indicating singular or plural scissors)
- That scissors is sharp. (less commonly to indicate singular scissors)
- Scissors are used to cut the flowers.
- Use scissors to cut them if you don't have proper shears.
- 1947 June 22, “Around the Garden”, in New York Times:
- Roses will last longer if a knife rather than a scissors is used to cut the blooms.
- (uncountable, aviation, military, with the) A type of defensive maneuver in dogfighting, involving repeatedly turning one's aircraft towards that of the attacker in order to force them to overshoot.
- (countable, aviation, military) An instance of the above dogfighting maneuver.
- (countable, rugby) An attacking move conducted by two players; the player without the ball runs from one side of the ball carrier, behind the ball carrier, and receives a pass from the ball carrier on the other side.
- They executed a perfect scissors.
- (countable, skating) A method of skating with one foot significantly in front of the other.
- (countable, gymnastics) An exercise in which the legs are switched back and forth, suggesting the motion of scissors.
- (countable, wrestling) A scissors hold.
- (rock paper scissors) A hand with the index and middle fingers open (a handshape resembling scissors), that beats paper and loses to rock. It beats lizard and loses to Spock in rock-paper-scissors-lizard-Spock.
Usage notes
- "A pair of scissors" is preferred to "a scissors" by about a four-to-one margin in the US (COCA).
- "The scissors" is preferred to "the scissor" by about a thirty-to-one margin in the US (COCA).
Synonyms
- scissor (India)
- (tool used for cutting): pair of scissors; shears
- (rugby): switch
Hyponyms
- (dogfight maneuver): flat scissors, rolling scissors
Derived terms
- agrarian scissors
- crash scissors
- dummy scissors
- elbow scissors
- genetic scissors
- grafting scissors
- marble scissors
- Mayo scissors
- Metzenbaum scissors
- nail scissors
- paper scissors stone
- price scissors
- price scissors
- probe-scissors
- rock paper scissors
- rock-paper-scissors
- run with scissors
- safety scissors
- scissor
- scissors-and-paste
- scissorsbill
- scissors bite
- scissors crisis
- scissors crossing
- scissors crossover
- scissors-glasses
- scissors kick
- scissors paper stone
- scissorstail
- scissors-tailed
- texturizing scissors
- thinning scissors
- trauma scissors
Translations
tool used for cutting
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hand with the index and middle fingers open in the game of rock paper scissors
Noun
scissors
Verb
scissors (third-person singular simple present scissorses, present participle scissorsing, simple past and past participle scissorsed)
- (transitive) Rare form of scissor (“To cut using, or as if using, scissors.”).
- 1907, Barbara Baynton, edited by Sally Krimmer and Alan Lawson, Human Toll (Portable Australian Authors: Barbara Baynton), St Lucia: University of Queensland Press, published 1980, page 175:
- She found her in the dining-room with Ann Foster, the little dressmaker, who was endeavouring to scissors through the right side of her underlip with her teeth as proof that the compiling of a list of requisites was no tax to her.
Verb
scissors
- third-person singular simple present indicative of scissor
Interjection
scissors
- (dated) Cry of anguish or frustration.
- 1909, Edward Waterman Townsend, chapter II, in The Climbing Courvatels, New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company, page 30:
- Say, wouldn’t it put your eye out to get a letter from one of the kiddies with the thumb‐prints of that crest not doing a thing but snuggling down in the wax on the envelope? Oh, scissors!
- 1911, William Caine, chapter XIV, in The Revolt at Roskelly’s, New York & London: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, page 270:
- “Scissors!” he shouted and stuck his finger in his mouth.
- 1913, Richard Claude Carton, Public Opinion: A Farce in Three Acts, London: Samuel French, Ltd., page 81:
- Then sit down—make yourself at home. Ah, scissors.
