scam

Pronunciation

• IPA: /skæm/^[1]

Etymology

It is American slang, a carnival term of unknown origin.^[2][3][4][5] Etymonline suggests a link with 19th-century British slang scamp, a cheat or swindler.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A trick or swindle, and the verb, to cheat: 1963, in American English.^[2][3][6][4]

Semantic evolution

A story, rumour or piece of information was also a scam from 1964,^[6] and a fraudulent bankruptcy from 1966.^[6]

Timeline

• 1963 – a swindle; to swindle.^[2][6]
• 1964 – a rumour, information.^[6]
• 1966 – a fraudulent bankruptcy.^[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A dishonest scheme; a swindle.

Verb

1. To cheat or swindle someone.

Word family

• scammer
• scamster

Related words

• scamp
• swindle

Usage notes

Older words spelled scam are unrelated: an obsolete form of shame,^[6] and in Shetland a flaw, crack or injury.^[7]

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
3. ^ a b c Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
7. ^ Wright, Joseph, ed. (1898–1905), The English Dialect Dictionary, 6 vols., Oxford: Henry Frowde; via EDD Online 4.0, University of Innsbruck (CC BY 4.0)