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scarification

 - 5 dictionary results

scar⋅i⋅fi⋅ca⋅tion

  [skar-uh-fi-key-shuhn]
Use scarification in a Sentence
–noun
1. an act or instance of scarifying.
2. the result of scarifying; a scratch or scratches.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME scarificacioun < LL scarīficātiōn- (s. of scarīficātiō). See scarify, -ation
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To scarification
scar·i·fy 1   (skār'ə-fī')   
tr.v.   scar·i·fied, scar·i·fy·ing, scar·i·fies

    1. To make shallow cuts in (the skin), as when vaccinating.

    2. To create a design on (the skin) by means of shallow cuts that are sometimes rubbed with a colorant or irritant to enhance the resulting scar tissue.

  2. To break up the surface of (topsoil or pavement).

  3. To distress deeply, as with severe criticism; lacerate.

  4. Botany To slit or soften the outer coat of (seeds) in order to speed germination.


[Middle English scarifien, from Old French scarifier, from Late Latin scarīficāre, alteration of Latin scarīfāre, from Greek skarīphāsthai, to sketch, scratch, from skarīphos, pencil, stylus; see skrībh- in Indo-European roots.]
scar'i·fi·ca'tion (-fĭ-kā'shən) n., scar'i·fi'er 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

scarification 
c.1400, "act of covering with scratches or slight cuts," from O.Fr. scarification (1314), from L.L. scarificationem, noun of action from scarificare, from L. scarifare "scratch open," from Gk. skariphasthai "to scratch an outline, sketch," from skariphos "pencil, stylus," from PIE base *skribh- "to cut, separate, sift" (see script). Scarify in the sense "cover with scars" (1687) is a sense-shift from infl. of scar.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: scar·i·fi·ca·tion
Pronunciation: "skar-&-f&-'kA-sh&n, "sker-
Function: noun
1 : the act orprocess of scarifying scarification>
2 : a mark or marks made by scarifying
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

scarification scar·i·fi·ca·tion (skār'ə-fĭ-kā'shən)
n.
The act of making shallow cuts in the skin.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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