Curio
Today

scarf

SKARF · noun

Old FrenchOld Northern FrenchEnglish

Origin

The neckwear sense probably comes from Old Northern French escarpe, related to Old French escharpe, a pilgrim's purse worn on a cord around the neck. Another sense of scarf, a joint where two pieces are cut to fit together, is of uncertain origin but may come from Old Norse skarfr, tied to the verb skera, 'to cut.'

Journey

The word seems to have drifted from something carried at the neck to something worn around it, while a separate carpentry sense kept closer to the idea of cutting and fitting pieces together.

Related words

Scarf is a doublet of scrip, the word for a small bag or satchel, both tracing back to that same French root for a neck-slung pouch.

More words

From Old Northern French

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