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, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
From Middle English scracchen, of uncertain origin. Probably a blend of Middle English scratten (“to scratch”) and cracchen (“to scratch”). More at scrat and cratch.
Pronunciation
Verb
scratch (third-person singular simple present scratches, present participle scratching, simple past and past participle scratched)
- To rub a surface with a sharp object, especially by a living creature to remove itching with nails, claws, etc.
Could you please scratch my back?
1733, [Jonathan Swift], On Poetry: A Rapsody, Dublin, London: nd sold by J. Huggonson, , →OCLC, pages 7–8, lines 85–90:Then riſing with Aurora’s Light, / The Muse invok’d, ſit down to write; / Blot out, correct, inſert, refine, / Enlarge, diminiſh, interline; / Be mindful, when Invention fails, / To ſcratch your Head, and bite your Nails.
- To rub the skin with rough material causing a sensation of irritation; to cause itching.
I don't like that new scarf because it scratches my neck.
1962, Simone de Beauvoir, translated by Peter Green, The Prime of Life, Cleveland, OH: The World Publishing Company, translation of La Force de l'âge, →OCLC, page 77:Sometimes I lost track of them and had to hunt round in a circle, thrusting through sharp-scented bushes, scratching myself [translating m’écorchant] on various plants which were still new to me: resinaceous rock-roses, juniper, ilex, yellow and white asphodel.
- To irritate someone's skin with one's unshaven beard when kissing.
- To mark a surface with a sharp object, thereby leaving a scratch (noun).
A real diamond can easily scratch a pane of glass.
- (of a surface) to get such scratches
This platter scratches easily.
- To cross out, strike out, strike through some text on a page.
- Hence, to remove, ignore, or delete.
Scratch what I said earlier; I was wrong.
When the favorite was scratched from the race, there was a riot at the betting windows.
- (music) To produce a distinctive sound on a turntable by moving a vinyl record back and forth while manipulating the crossfader (see also scratching).
- (billiards) To commit a foul in pool, as where the cue ball is put into a pocket or jumps off the table.
Embarrassingly, he scratched on the break, popping the cue completely off the table.
- (billiards, dated, US) To score, not by skillful play but by some fortunate chance of the game.
- To write or draw hastily or awkwardly; scrawl.
1714 February, [Jonathan Swift], The Publick Spirit of the Whigs: Set forth in Their Generous Encouragement of the Author of the Crisis: , 3rd edition, London: for John Morphew, , published 1714, →OCLC, page 1:If any of the Labourers can ſcratch out a Pamphlet, they deſire no more; There is no Queſtion offered about the Wit, the Style, the Argument.
- (transitive, intransitive) To dig or excavate with the claws.
Some animals scratch holes, in which they burrow.
- To dig or scrape (a person's skin) with claws or fingernails in self-defense or with the intention to injure.
The cat scratched the little girl.
- (swimming, athletics) To announce one's non-participation in a race or sports event part of a larger sports meeting that they were previously signed up for, usually in lieu of another event at the same meeting.
2021 June 21, Brandon Penny, NBC Sports:Kerley, 26, is the 2019 World bronze medalist at 400 meters, a distance he is known for and with which he also won the 2017 and 2019 U.S. titles, but surprised the track world by announcing one week ago that he scratched the 400m and would focus on the 100m and 200m in Eugene, Oregon, despite not having raced the 100m between 2015 and 2020.
2008 July 26, P-J Vazel, World Athletics:Hurtis-Houairi, in lane three, quickly caught Arron, who was in lane four, winning in 22.80. Arron, who scratched the 100m semis in order to focus on the longer sprint, could only run 23.44.
Synonyms
Derived terms
Translations
rub a surface with a sharp object
- Albanian: gërryej (sq), gërric, gërrith
- Arabic: خَرْبَشَ (ḵarbaša)
- Egyptian Arabic: خربش (ḵarbiš)
- Hijazi Arabic: خَرْبَش (ḵarbaš)
- Armenian: քերծել (hy) (kʻercel), քորել (hy) (kʻorel)
- Assamese: আঁচোৰ (ãsür)
- Azerbaijani: cızmaq
- Belarusian: дра́паць impf (drápacʹ)
- Bulgarian: дра́щя (bg) impf (dráštja), дра́скам (bg) impf (dráskam)
- Burmese: ကုတ် (my) (kut)
- Catalan: rascar (ca), esgarrapar (ca), gratar (ca)
- Chinese:
- Cantonese: (to remove itching) 𢯎 (ngaau1)
- Mandarin: 抓 (zh) (zhuā), 划 (zh) (huá), 搔 (zh) (sāo)
- Czech: škrábat impf, škrábnout pf, poškrabat pf
- Danish: klø
- Dutch: krassen (nl), krabben (nl)
- Esperanto: grati (eo)
- Estonian: sügama, kratsima
- Faroese: skava, skøva (fo), rispa (fo)
- Finnish: raapia (fi), kynsiä (fi), rapsuttaa (fi)
- French: gratter (fr)
- Galician: rascar (gl), cozar (gl), rañar (gl), fuñir
- Georgian: კაწვრა (ḳac̣vra), ფხაჭნა (pxač̣na), გაკაწვრა (gaḳac̣vra)
- German: kratzen (de)
- Greek: ξύνω (el) (xýno)
- Ancient: ξύω (xúō), κνήθω (knḗthō)
- Guaraní: karãi
- Hebrew: גֵּרֵד (he) (geréd)
- Hungarian: vakar (hu), megvakar (hu), karcol (hu), megkarcol (hu), karistol (hu), kapar (hu)
- Indonesian: please add this translation if you can
- Ingrian: kraappia, kraapata, karsia, karsittaa
- Irish: scríob, tochais (in order to relieve an itch)
- Italian: grattare (it), graffiare (it)
- Japanese: 引っ掻く (ja) (ひっかく, hikkaku)
- Kashubian: drapac
- Khmer: អេះ (km) (ʼeh)
- Korean: 긁다 (ko) (geukda), 할퀴다 (halkwida)
- Ladino: araskar, areskunyar
- Lao: please add this translation if you can
- Latin: scabō, scalpō
- Lombard: grattà (lmo)
- Lushootseed: ʔix̌
- Macedonian: драска impf (draska)
- Malay: menggaru
- Maori: ope (the head), raku, rakuraku, raraku, rapi, rapirapi, rarapi
- Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
- Nivkh: ӽарпть (ẋarpț)
- Occitan: rascar, gratar
- Old Portuguese: coçar
- Oromo: hooquu
- Persian: خراشیدن (fa) (xarâšidan)
- Polish: drapać (pl) impf, skrobać (pl) impf
- Portuguese: coçar (pt), rascar, raspar (pt)
- Rapa Nui: raku
- Romanian: scărpina (ro)
- Romansch: sgrattar
- Russian: цара́пать (ru) impf (carápatʹ), поцара́пать (ru) pf (pocarápatʹ), шкря́бать (ru) impf (škrjábatʹ), пошкря́бать (ru) pf (poškrjábatʹ)
- Sanskrit: रदति (sa) (radati)
- Slovak: škrabať impf
- Spanish: rascar (es)
- Swedish: klösa (sv)
- Sylheti: ꠀꠌ꠆ꠞꠣꠘꠤ (asrani)
- Tetum: koi
- Thai: เกา (th) (gao)
- Tibetan: སྦར་བྲད་བརྒྱབ (sbar brad brgyab)
- Turkish: kaşımak (tr)
- Ukrainian: шкря́бати impf (škrjábaty), дря́пати impf (drjápaty)
- Vietnamese: gãi (vi)
- Welsh: crafu (cy)
- West Flemish: schartn, skartn
- Yiddish: קראַצן (kratsn), צעקראַצן (tsekratsn)
- Zazaki: wıreynayen c, wıreyen c
- Zealandic: krasse, kraeuwe
|
rub the skin with rough material
- Albanian: gërvisht (sq)
- Armenian: ճանկռել (hy) (čankṙel)
- Azerbaijani: qaşımaq
- Belarusian: часа́ць impf (časácʹ)
- Bulgarian: жу́ля (bg) impf (žúlja)
- Catalan: gratar (ca)
- Estonian: please add this translation if you can
- Faroese: skriða, skræða
- Finnish: hieroa (fi), hiertää (fi)
- French: égratigner (fr)
- Galician: rafar, eslasar, raspiñar (gl), raspar (gl)
- German: kratzen (de)
- Greek: ξύνω (el) (xýno)
- Ancient: ξύω (xúō), ἀμύσσω (amússō)
- Gujarati: ખંજવાળવું (khãjvāḷvũ)
- Hungarian: szúr (hu)
- Indonesian: garuk (id)
- Italian: graffiare (it), raspare, grattare (it)
- Latin: scabō
- Latvian: please add this translation if you can
- Lithuanian: please add this translation if you can
- Marathi: खाजवणे (khājavṇe)
- Portuguese: raspar (pt)
- Romanian: zgâria (ro)
- Russian: чеса́ть (ru) impf (česátʹ), почеса́ть (ru) pf (počesátʹ), царапать (ru) impf (carapatʹ), поцарапать (ru) pf (pocarapatʹ)
- Spanish: raspar (es)
- Sundanese: garo
- Tagalog: kamot (tl), kagkag
- Turkish: kaşındırmak (tr)
- Ukrainian: чу́хати impf (čúxaty)
- Zazaki: wıreyneyayen
- Zealandic: kraeuwe
|
irritate someone's skin with one's unshaven beard when kissing
mark a surface with a sharp object
- Bulgarian: одра́сквам (bg) impf (odráskvam)
- Catalan: arpejar (ca)
- Chinese:
- Cantonese: 刮 (yue) (gwaat3)
- Estonian: kriimustama
- Finnish: naarmuttaa (fi), raapia (fi)
- French: rayer (fr)
- Galician: rabuñar (gl), gaduñar (gl), eslagañar, raspuñar (gl), grafiñar
- German: zerkratzen (de), verkratzen (de)
- Greek: χαράσσω (el) (charásso)
- Ancient: κνίζω (knízō)
- Hebrew: שָׂרַט (sarat)
- Hungarian: karcol (hu), megkarcol (hu)
- Italian: graffiare (it)
- Latin: scabo
- Portuguese: arranhar (pt)
- Quechua: hallp'iy, hasp'iy
- Romanian: zgâria (ro)
- Romansch: sgrifflar
- Russian: цара́пать (ru) impf (carápatʹ), поцара́пать (ru) pf (pocarápatʹ)
- Spanish: arañar (es), rasguñar (es), rayar (es)
- Turkish: çizmek (tr)
- Zazaki: xizen
|
remove, ignore, or delete
write or draw hastily or awkwardly
dig or scrape with claws or fingernails with the intention to injure
Translations to be checked
Noun
scratch (countable and uncountable, plural scratches)
- A disruption, mark or shallow cut on a surface made by scratching.
I can’t believe there is a scratch in the paint already.
Her skin was covered with tiny scratches.
1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Sixt”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :God forbid a shallow scratch should drive / The prince of Wales from such a field as this.
1677–1683, Joseph Moxon, “(please specify the page)”, in Mechanick Exercises, or The Doctrine of Handy-Works, , volumes (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Joseph Moxon, published 1678–1683, →OCLC:The coarse file […] makes deep scratches in the work.
1709, Matthew Prior, Henry and Emma, line 503:These nails with scratches deform my breast.
1892, Walter Besant, “Prologue: Who is Edmund Gray?”, in The Ivory Gate , New York, N.Y.: Harper & Brothers, , →OCLC:Thus, when he drew up instructions in lawyer language, he expressed the important words by an initial, a medial, or a final consonant, and made scratches for all the words between; his clerks, however, understood him very well.
1963, Margery Allingham, “Foreword”, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:A very neat old woman, still in her good outdoor coat and best beehive hat, was sitting at a polished mahogany table on whose surface there were several scored scratches so deep that a triangular piece of the veneer had come cleanly away, […].
- An act of scratching the skin to alleviate an itch or irritation.
The dog sat up and had a good scratch.
- (sports)
- A starting line (originally and simply, a line scratched in the ground), as in boxing.
- A technical error of touching or surpassing the starting mark prior to the official start signal in the sporting events of long jump, discus, hammer throw, shot put, and similar. Originally the starting mark was a scratch on the ground but is now a board or precisely indicated mark.
- (cycling) The last riders to depart in a handicap race.
1901, “Gleanings”, in The Agricultural Journal and Mining Record, volume 4, number 1, page 31:Eventually the elephant and camel were despatched by themselves with two laps start of the bicyclist and horse, the motor car being scratch.
- (billiards) An aberration.
- A foul in pool, as where the cue ball is put into a pocket or jumps off the table.
- (archaic, US, slang) A shot which scores by chance and not as intended by the player; a fluke.
- (horse racing) A horse withdrawn from a race prior to the start.
There were two scratches in race 8, which reduced the field from nine horses to seven.
- (meiosis) A minor injury.
It's just a scratch!
- (slang) Money.
2006, Clive James, North Face of Soho, Picador, published 2007, page 153:He and Bruce cooked up a script together, and Bruce flew home to raise the scratch.
- A feed, usually a mixture of a few common grains, given to chickens.
- (in the plural) Minute, but tender and troublesome, excoriations, covered with scabs, upon the heels of horses which have been used where it is very wet or muddy.
1887, James Law, The Farmer's Veterinary Adviser:These are exemplified in the scurfy, scaly affections which appear in the bend of the knee (mallenders) and hock (sallenders) and on the lower parts of the limbs, by scratches, and by a scaly exfoliation […].
- (now historical) A scratch wig.
- 1775, Frances Burney, Journals & Letters, Penguin 2001, 26 March:
- e turned to him with a dejected Face, and said ‘ – pray Sir, – could you touch up This a little?’ taking hold of his frightful scratch.
- (music) A genre of Virgin Islander music, better known as fungi.
- Scrawled or illegible handwriting; chicken scratch.
2017, P. L. Hawks, I Love Paris:The handwriting in his paper is completely different when compared to his scratch on the note you gave me
Synonyms
Derived terms
Translations
disruption or mark on a surface
- Armenian: please add this translation if you can
- Azerbaijani: cızıq
- Belarusian: дра́піна f (drápina)
- Bulgarian: драскоти́на (bg) f (draskotína)
- Catalan: esgarrapada (ca) f, esgarrinxada f, esgarrap (ca) m
- Czech: škrábanec (cs) m
- Danish: ridse (da) c
- Dutch: kras f or m
- Esperanto: grato (eo)
- Finnish: naarmu (fi), viiru (fi)
- French: éraflure (fr) f, égratignure (fr) f, rayure (fr) f
- Galician: rabuñada f, amata f, rabuño m, rascada f
- Georgian: please add this translation if you can
- German: Kratzer (de) m
- Greek: γρατζουνιά (el) f (gratzouniá)
- Ancient: ἀμυχή f (amukhḗ)
- Hebrew: שְׂרִיטָה (he) f (s'ritá)
- Hungarian: karc (hu), karcolás (hu)
- Italian: graffio (it) m, strappo (it) m, incrinatura (it) f
- Khmer: ថ្នស់ (thnɑh)
- Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
- Norwegian:
- Bokmål: (please verify) risp n
- Persian: خراش (fa) (xarâš)
- Plautdietsch: Schraum f
- Polish: rysa (pl) f, zadrapanie (pl) n
- Portuguese: arranhão (pt) m, risco (pt) m
- Romansch: sgriffel m (Rumantsch Grischun)
- Russian: цара́пина (ru) f (carápina)
- Scottish Gaelic: sgrìobadh m
- Spanish: arañazo m, rayadura f
- Swedish: repa (sv) c, rivsår (sv) n
- Thai: please add this translation if you can
- Turkish: çizik (tr)
- Ukrainian: подря́пина f (podrjápyna), дря́пина f (drjápyna)
- Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can
- Zazaki: çığiz
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an act of scratching the skin to alleviate an itch or irritation
Adjective
scratch (not comparable)
- For or consisting of preliminary or tentative, incomplete, etc. work.
This is scratch paper, so go ahead and scribble whatever you want on it.
- Hastily assembled, arranged or constructed, from whatever materials are to hand, with little or no preparation
1902, Henry James, The Wings of the Dove:A scratch company of two innocuous youths and a pacified veteran was therefore what now offered itself to Mrs. Stringham, who rustled in a little breathless and full of the compunction of having had to come alone.
1988, James McPherson, Battle Cry of Freedom, Oxford, published 2004, page 740:Bluecoats began crossing the James on June 14 and next day two corps approached Petersburg, which was held by Beauregard with a scratch force of 2,500.
- (computing) Relating to a scratchpad, a data structure or recording medium attached to a machine for testing or temporary use.
- scratch memory
- (sports) (of a player) Of a standard high enough to play without a handicap, i.e. to compete without the benefit of a variation in scoring based on ability.
1964, Charles Price, The American golfer, page 48:... the shot that does most to make a genuine scratch golfer is the mashie shot up to the pin — not merely up to the green.
Derived terms
References
French
Etymology
Borrowed from English scratch.
Pronunciation
Noun
scratch m (plural scratchs)
- Velcro
- Synonym: velcro
Further reading
Italian
Etymology
Borrowed from English scratch.
Noun
scratch m (invariable)
- (music) scratch
Polish
Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from English scratch.
Pronunciation
Noun
scratch m inan
- (cycling, music, tennis) Alternative spelling of skrecz
Declension
Derived terms
Further reading
- scratch in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
- scratch in Polish dictionaries at PWN
Spanish
Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from English scratch.
Pronunciation
Noun
scratch m (plural scratchs)
- (music) scratch
Usage notes
According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.