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scabrous

 - 3 dictionary results

scab⋅rous

  [skab-ruhs]
Use scabrous in a Sentence
–adjective
1. having a rough surface because of minute points or projections.
2. indecent or scandalous; risqué; obscene: scabrous books.
3. full of difficulties.
Origin:
1575–85; < L scab(e)r rough + -ous

Related forms:
scab⋅rous⋅ly, adverb
scab⋅rous⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
2. lewd, wanton, improper.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To scabrous
scab·rous   (skāb'rəs, skā'brəs)   
adj.  

  1. Having or covered with scales or small projections and rough to the touch. See Synonyms at rough.

  2. Difficult to handle; knotty: a scabrous situation.

  3. Dealing with scandalous or salacious material: a scabrous novel.


[Late Latin scabrōsus, from scaber, scabr-, scurfy.]
scab'rous·ly adv., scab'rous·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

scabrous 
1572 (implied in scabrously), from L.L. scabrosus "rough," from L. scaber "rough, scaly," related to scabere "to scratch, scrape" (see scabies). Sense in Eng. evolved from "harsh, unmusical," to "vulgar" (1881), "squalid" (1939) and "nasty, repulsive" (c.1951).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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