Emily Dickinson Lexicon

SCOUN'DREL, n. [said to be from It. scondaruole, a lurker, one that skulks from the roll or muster, from L. abscondo. The Italian signifies properly the play hoodman-blind, or fox in the hole.]

A mean, worthless fellow; a rascal; a low petty villain; a man without honor or virtue. Go, if your ancient but ignoble blood / Has crept through scoundrels ever since the flood. – Pope.

SCOUN'DREL-ISM, n.

Baseness; turpitude; rascality. Cotgrave.

SCOUR, v.i.

1. To perform the business of cleaning vessels by rubbing. – Shak.
2. To clean. Warm water is softer than cold, for it scoureth better. – Bacon.
3. To be purged to excess. – Bacon. Mortimer.
4. To rove or range for sweeping or taking something. Barbarossa, thus scouring along the coast of Italy. – Knolles.
5. To run with celerity; to scamper. So four fierce coursers, starting to the race, / Scour through the plain, and lengthen every pace. – Dryden.

SCOUR, v.t. [Goth. skauron, to scour; Sax. scur, a scouring; D. schuuren; C. scheuern; Dan. skurer; Sw. skura; Arm. scarhein, scurhein or scurya; Fr. ecurer, to scour; Sp. escurar. See the roots גרר and גרע. Class Gr, No. 5, 8.]

1. To rub hard with something rough, for the purpose of cleaning; as, to scour a kettle; to scour a musket; to scour armor.
2. To clean by friction; to make clean or bright.
3. To purge violently.
4. To remove by scouring. Never came reformation in a flood / With such a heady current, scouring faults. – Shak.
5. To range about for taking all that can be found; as, to scour the sea of pirates.
6. To pass swiftly over; to brush along; as, to scour the coast. – Milton. Not so when swift Camilla scours the plain. – Pope.

SCOUR'ED, pp.

Rubbed with something rough, or made clean by rubbing; severely purged; brushed along.

SCOUR'ER, n.

1. One that scours or cleans by rubbing.
2. A drastic cathartic.
3. One that runs with speed.

SCOURGE, n. [skurj; Fr. escourgée; It. scoreggia, a leather thong; from L. corriggia, from corrigo, to straighten.]

1. A whip; a lash consisting of a strap or cord; an instrument of punishment or discipline. A scourge of small cords. – John ii.
2. A punishment; vindictive affliction. Famine and plague are sent as scourges for amendment. – Esdras.
3. He or that which greatly afflicts, harasses or destroys; particularly, any continued evil or calamity. Attila was called the scourge of God, for the miseries he inflicted on his conquests. Slavery is a terrible scourge.
4. A whip for a top. – Locke.

SCOURGE, v.t. [skurj; It. scoreggiare.]

1. To whip severely; to lash. Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman? – Acts xxii.
2. To punish with severity; to chastise; to afflict for sins or faults, and with the purpose of correction. He will scourge us for our iniquities, and will have mercy, again. – Tobit. Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. – Heb xii.
3. To afflict greatly; to harass, torment or injure.

SCOURG'ED, pp.

Whipped; lashed; punished severely; harassed.

SCOURG'ER, n.

One that scourges or punishes; one that afflicts severely.

SCOURG'ING, ppr.

Whipping; lashing with severity; punishing or afflicting severely.

SCOUR'ING, n.

A rubbing hard for cleaning; a cleansing by a drastic purge; looseness; flux. – Bacon.

SCOUR'ING, ppr.

Rubbing hard with something rough cleaning by rubbing; cleansing with a drastic cathartic; ranging over for clearing.

SCOURSE, v.t. [See SCORSE.]

SCOUT, n. [Fr. ecout; ecouter, to hear, to listen; Norm. escoult, a hearing; It. scolta, to watch; scoltare, to listen; ausculto; Gr. ους, the ear, and L. culto, colo.]

1. In military affairs, a person sent before an army, or to a distance, for the purpose of observing the motions of an enemy or discovering any danger, and giving notice to the general. Horsemen are generally employed as scouts. – Encyc.
2. A high rock. [Not in use.]

SCOUT, v.i.

To go on the business of watching the motions of an enemy; to act as a scout. With obscure wing / Scout far and wide into the realm of night. – Milton.

SCOUT, v.t. [perhaps Sw. skiuta, to shoot, to thrust, that to reject.]

To sneer at; to treat with disdain and contempt. [This word is in good use in America.]

SCOUT'ED, pp.

Sneered at; treated with contempt.

SCOUT'ING, ppr.

Treating with contempt.

SCO'VEL, n. [W. ysgubell, from ysgub, a broom, L. scopa.]

A mop for sweeping ovens; a maulkin. – Ainsworth. Bailey.

SCOW, n. [D. schouw; Dan. skude; Sw. skuta.]

A large flat-bottomed boat; used as a ferry-boat, or for loading and unloading vessels. [A word in good use in New England.]

SCOW, v.t.

To transport in a scow.

SCOW'ED, pp.

Transported in a scow.

SCOWL, n.

1. The wrinkling of the brows in frowning; the expression of displeasure, sullenness or discontent in the countenance.
2. Gloom; dark or rude aspect; as of the heavens. – Crashaw.

SCOWL, v.i. [Sax. scul, in scul-eaged, scowl-eyed; probably from the root of G. schel, schiel, D. scheel, distorted; schielen, Dan. skieler, to squint; Gr. σκολιοω, to twist. See Class Gl, No. 59.]

1. To wrinkle the brows, as in frowning or displeasure; to put on a frowning look; to look sour, sullen, severe or angry. She scowl'd and frown'd with froward countenance. – Spenser.
2. To look gloomy, frowning, dark or tempestuous; as, the scowling heavens. – Thomson.