Emily Dickinson Lexicon

SCRU'PU-LOUS, a. [L. scrupulosus; Fr. scrupuleux.]

1. Nicely doubtful; hesitating to determine or to act; cautious in decision from a fear of offending or doing wrong. Bo careful in moral conduct, not to offend scrupulous brethren.
2. Given to making objections; captious. Equality of two domestic pow'rs / Breeds scrupulous faction. – Shak.
3. Nice; doubtful. The justice of that cause ought to be evident; not obscure, not scrupulous. [Not in use.] – Bacon.
4. Careful; cautious; exact in regarding facts. Woodward.
5. Nice; exact; as, a scrupulous abstinence from labor. – Paley.

SCRU'PU-LOUS-LY, adv.

With a nice regard to minute particulars or to exact propriety. The duty consists not scrupulously in minutes and half hours. – Taylor. Heary was scrupulously careful not ascribe the success to himself. – Addison.

SCRU'PU-LOUS-NESS, n.

The state or quality of being scrupulous; niceness, exactness or caution in determining or in acting, from a regard to truth, propriety or expedience.

SCRU'TA-BLE, a. [See Scrutiny.]

Discoverable by inquiry or critical examination. – Decay of Piety.

SCRU-TA'TION, n.

Search; scrutiny. [Not used.]

SCRU-TA'TOR, n. [L. from scrutor.]

One that scrutinizes; a close examiner or inquirer. [Little used.] – Ayliffe.

SCRU-TI-NEER', n.

One who scrutinizes.

SCRU'TI-NIZE, v.t. [from scrutiny.]

To search closely; to examine or inquire into critically; as, to scrutinize the measures of administration; to scrutinize the private conduct or motives of individuals.

SCRU'TI-NIZ-ED, pp.

Examined closely.

SCRU'TI-NIZ-ER, n.

One who examines with critical care.

SCRU'TI-NIZ-ING, ppr.

Inquiring into with critical minuteness or exactness.

SCRU'TI-NOUS, a.

Closely inquiring or examining; captious. Denham.

SCRU'TI-NY, n. [Fr. scrutin; It. scrutinio; Sp. escrutinio; Low L. scrutinium, from scrutor, to search closely, to pry into; Sax. scrudnian; Ir. scrudam.]

1. Close search; minute inquiry; critical examination; as, a scrutiny of votes; narrower scrutiny. In the heat of debate, observations may escape a prudent man which will not bear the test of scrutiny.
2. In the primitive church, an examination of catechumens in the last week of Lent, who were to receive baptism on Easter-day. This was performed with prayers, exorcisms and many other ceremonies. – Encyc.
3. In the canon law, a ticket or little paper billet on which a vote is written. Encyc.

SCRU-TOIR', n. [Fr. ecritoire, from ecrire, to write. See Scribe.]

A kind of desk, case of drawers or cabinet, with a lid opening downward for the convenience of writing on it. Prior.

SCRUZE, v.t.

To crowd; to squeeze. [A low word of local use.] Spenser.

SCUD, n.

1. A low thin cloud, or thin clouds driven by the wind. – Mar. Dict.
2. A driving along; a rushing with precipitation. – Gay.

SCUD, v.i. [This is shoot, or from the same root; Dan. skyder, to shoot; skud, a shot; Sw. skudda, to throw or pour out; Sax. sceotan, to shoot, to flee or haste away; W. ysgwdu, to push or thrust; ysgudaw, ysguthaw, to whisk, to scud, to whirl about. See Shoot.]

1. In a general sense, to be driven or to flee or fly with haste. In seamen's language, to be driven with precipitation before a tempest. This is done with a sail extended on the foremast of the ship, or when the wind is too violent, without any sail set, which is called scudding under bare poles. Mar. Dict.
2. To run with precipitation; to fly. – Dryden.

SCUDDING, ppr.

Driving or being driven before a tempest; running with fleetness.

SCUD'DLE, v.i.

To run with a kind of affected haste; commonly pronounced scuttle. [A low word.]

SCUF'FLE, n. [This is a different orthography of shuffle; from shove, or its root; Sw. skuff, a push; skuffa, to push, thrust, shove; Dan. skuffe, a drawer, a scoop, a shovel; skuffer, to shuffle, to cheat; D. schuiven, to shove, push or draw; G. schieben.]

1. A contention or trial of strength between two persons, who embrace each other's bodies; a struggle with close embrace, to decide which shall throw the other; in distinction from wrestling, which is a trial of strength and dexterity at arm's length. Among our common people, it is not unusual for two persons to commence a contest by wrestling, and at last close in, as it is called, and decide the contest by a scuffle.
2. A confuse contest; a tumultuous struggle for victory or superiority; a fight. The dog leaps upon the serpent and tears it to pieces; but in the scuffle, the cradle happened to be overturned. – L'Estrange.

SCUF'FLE, v.i.

1. To strive or struggle with close embrace, as two men or boys.
2. To strive or contend tumultuously, as small parties. A gallant man prefers to fight to great disadvantages in the field, in an orderly way, rather than to scuffle with an undisciplined rabble. – K. Charles.

SCUF'FLER, n.

One who scuffles.

SCUF'FLING, ppr.

Striving for superiority with close embrace; struggling or contending without order.

SCUG, v.t. [Dan. skygger, to shade; Sw. skugga, a shade.]

To hide. [Local.] Grose.

SCULK, v.i. [Dan. skiuler; Sw. skyla; D. schuilen, to hide, shelter, sculk; the Eng. shelter. It is also written skulk.]

To retire into a close or covered place for concealment; to lurk; to lie close from shame, fear of injury or detection. No news of Phyl! the bridegroom came, / And thought his bride had sculk'd for shame. – Swift. And sculk behind the subterfuge of art. – Prior.