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scarify

 - 5 dictionary results

scar⋅i⋅fy

[skar-uh-fahy]
–verb (used with object), -fied, -fy⋅ing.
1. to make scratches or superficial incisions in (the skin, a wound, etc.), as in vaccination.
2. to lacerate by severe criticism.
3. to loosen (the soil) with a type of cultivator.
4. to hasten the sprouting of (hard-covered seeds) by making incisions in the seed coats.
5. to break up (a road surface).

Origin:
1400–50; late ME scarifie < MF scarifier < LL scarīficāre, alter. of L scarīfāre, scarīphāre to make scratches < Gk skarīphâsthai to sketch, deriv. of skárīphos stylus; see -ify


scar⋅i⋅fi⋅er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To scarify
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.

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

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

  3. 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.
scar·i·fy 2   (skâr'ə-fī')   
tr.v.   scar·i·fied, scar·i·fy·ing, scar·i·fies
To scare.
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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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: scar·i·fy
Pronunciation: 'skar-&-"fI, 'sker-
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: -fied; -fy·ing
: to make scratches or small cuts in (as the skin) <scarify an area for vaccination>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

scarify scar·i·fy (skār'ə-fī')
v. scar·i·fied, scar·i·fy·ing, scar·i·fies
To make shallow cuts in the skin, as when vaccinating.

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