Emily Dickinson Lexicon

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.]