scabbard

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈskæb.əd/ (UK); /ˈskæb.ɚd/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English scabard, earlier scauberc, scaubert,^[2][3][4][5] borrowed from Anglo-Norman *escauberc, recorded in the plural escaubers,^[3][4][6] of Germanic origin,^[2][3][7] probably a compound meaning “blade protector”:^[3][4] compare Old High German scār (“blade, scissors, sword”) (see shear) and bergan (“to protect, hide”) (see bury).^[3][4][8][7] Hoad and Skeat take the first element instead from scala (“shell, husk”).^[9][10] The English spelling ending in -ard may be influenced by tabard.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

The sheath protecting the blade of a sword or dagger (1297 in the OED, and as sckauberk probably before 1300 in Barnhart).^[11][3][4]

Semantic evolution

Figurative uses often pair it with the sword (c. 1380),^[11] and in the 19th century the scabbard was used as a type of peace, opposed to the sword.^[11] To throw away the scabbard is to give up all thought of peace.^[11] The verb, to sheathe a sword, dates from 1579–80,^[11] and in the army it also meant to punish someone by beating with a scabbard.^[11][6] The word was also applied to sheaths for carbines and tools.^[6]

Timeline

• 1297 – a sword sheath.^[11]
• 1391 – scabard.^[3]
• 1579 – verb, to sheathe.^[11]
• 1802 – to punish with a scabbard.^[11]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A sheath for the blade of a sword, dagger or bayonet.
2. A sheath for carrying a gun or tool.

Verb

1. To put into or furnish with a scabbard; to sheathe.

Word family

• unscabbard
• scabbard fish

Related words

• hauberk
• shear
• bury
• harbor
• sheath

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
7. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
8. ^ Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
9. ^ Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
10. ^ Skeat, Walter W. (1911), A Concise Etymological Dictionary of the English Language, new ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
11. ^ a b c d e f g h i Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press