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scout

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scout

1[skout]
–noun
1. a soldier, warship, airplane, etc., employed in reconnoitering.
2. a person sent out to obtain information.
3. Sports.
a. a person who observes and reports on the techniques, players, etc., of opposing teams.
b. a person sent out by a team to observe and recommend new talent for recruitment.
4. a talent scout, as in the entertainment field.
5. an act or instance of reconnoitering, inspecting, observing, etc.
6. (sometimes initial capital letter) a Boy Scout or Girl Scout.
7. Informal. a person: He's a good scout.
8. a man acting as servant to a student at Oxford University.
–verb (used without object)
9. to act as a scout; reconnoiter.
10. to make a search; hunt.
11. to work as a talent scout.
–verb (used with object)
12. to examine, inspect, or observe for the purpose of obtaining information; reconnoiter: to scout the enemy's defenses.
13. to seek; search for (usually fol. by out or up): to scout up a date for Friday night.
14. to find by seeking, searching, or looking (usually fol. by out or up): Scout out a good book for me to read.

Origin:
1300–50; (v.) ME skowten < OF escouter, escolter, ascolter (F écouter to listen) < LL ascultāre, L auscultāre to listen; see auscultate; (n.) < MF escoute, deriv. of escouter

scout

2[skout]
–verb (used with object)
1. to treat with scorn; dismiss.
2. to make fun of; deride; mock.
–verb (used without object)
3. to scoff; jeer.

Origin:
1595–1605; perh. < ON skūta, skūt abuse, angry words. See shout
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To scout
scout 1   (skout)   
v.   scout·ed, scout·ing, scouts

v.   tr.
  1. To spy on or explore carefully in order to obtain information; reconnoiter.

  2. To observe and evaluate (a talented person), as for possible hiring.

v.   intr.
  1. To search as a scout: scout around for some gossip.

  2. To search for talented people: scouts for a professional basketball team.

n.  
    1. One that is dispatched from a main body to gather information, especially in preparation for military action.

    2. The act of reconnoitering.

    3. A member of the Boy Scouts.

    4. A member of the Girl Scouts.

  1. A watcher or sentinel.

  2. One who is employed to discover and recruit talented persons, especially in the fields of sports and entertainment.

  3. Sports One who is employed to observe and report on the strategies and players of rival teams.

  4. often Scout

    1. A member of the Boy Scouts.

    2. A member of the Girl Scouts.

  5. Informal An individual; a person: a good scout.

  6. Chiefly British A student's male servant at Oxford University.


[From Middle English scoute, act of watching or spying, from Old French escoute, from escouter, to listen, alteration of ascouter, from Vulgar Latin *ascultāre, alteration of Latin auscultāre; see ous- in Indo-European roots.]
scout'er n.
scout 2   (skout)   
v.   scout·ed, scout·ing, scouts

v.   tr.
To reject with disdain or derision. See Synonyms at despise.
v.   intr.
To treat another with derision; scoff.

[Of Scandinavian origin; see skeud- in Indo-European roots.]
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

scout  (v1.)
c.1300, from O.Fr. escouter "to listen, heed" (Mod.Fr. écouter), from L. auscultare "to listen to, give heed to." Noun meaning "person who scouts" first attested 1555. Boy Scout is from 1908.

scout  (v2.)
"to reject with scorn," 1605, of Scand. origin (cf. O.N. skuta, skute "taunt"), probably from a source related to shout.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Idioms & Phrases

scout

see good egg (scout).

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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