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scab Definition

scab (skab)

noun

  1. a crust that forms over a sore or wound during healing
  2. a mangy skin disease, as scabies, of animals, esp. sheep
    1. any of various plant diseases characterized by roughened, scablike spots on leaves, stems, or fruits
    2. any such spot
  3. : often a term of contempt or derision
    1. Slang a low, contemptible fellow; scoundrel
    2. ☆ a worker who refuses to join a union, or who works for lower wages or under different conditions than those accepted by the union
    3. a worker who refuses to strike, or who takes the place of a striking worker

Etymology: ME scabbe < ON skabb, akin to OE sceabb < IE base *(s)kep-, to cut, split > L scabies, scabies, scabere, to shave

intransitive verb scabbed, scab·bing

  1. to become covered with a scab; form a scab
  2. ☆ to work or act as a scab

scab Synonyms

scab

n.

  1. A crust over a wound

    eschar, slough, crust.

  2. *One who replaces a union worker on strike

    turncoat, strikebreaker, traitor, apostate, deserter, knobstick*.

scab Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • pick: You know - if you've ever picked the scab of a sore place.
  • cause: Moving your mouth can cause the scab to crack.
  • form: Cold sores usually start with a tingling, itching sensation on the lip, followed by blisters which weep, forming a scab.
  • have: Back to Top My rat has small scabs all over its back.
  • get: There are several reasons why rats get scabs, the most obvious being mites which can be picked up from bedding or food.
  • soften: A little petroleum jelly applied on the inner side of the nose can also soften scabs.

Adjective modifier

  • powdery: Dr. Bus presented a paper on control of powdery scab in the Netherlands by looking at the use of 'trap ' crops.
  • small: A tick bite usually looks like a lump with a small scab on the skin surface at the site of the bite.
  • black: The coal operators moved in black scabs from further south to break the strike.
  • common: A number of Venturia species cause diseases on other species of trees, the most common being apple scab.

Modifies a noun

  • mite: However, there is currently no method for rearing sheep scab mites away from sheep.
  • labor: On pickets, defense squads controlled by workers need to be set up to stop the police getting scab labor in.
  • union: In the middle of a bitter dispute a new scab company union was set up.
  • formation: A concomitant dermal invasion by neutrophils and T and B-lymphocytes lead to epithelial infiltration and scab formation.
  • bus: Despite the riot police, sheer weight of numbers prevented the scab bus getting through.
  • leader: What was the real role of Lynk and Pendergast, the scab UDM leaders before, during and after the strike?

Modifying Another Word

then: Chicken pox An infectious disease that makes you break out in tiny blisters which then scab over.

Followed by an intransitive particle

over: Two to three days before the rash appears and before the blisters scab over, the virus can be passed between people.

Noun used with modifier

  • sheep: The protein could be used to form the basis of a vaccine against sheep scab.
  • apple: A number of Venturia species cause diseases on other species of trees, the most common being apple scab.

Browse dictionary entries near scab

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  1. scabbard
  2. scabbardfish
  3. scabble
  4. scabby
  5. scabies
  6. scabiosa
  7. scabious
  8. scabrous
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