scissors

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈsɪzəz/ (UK); /ˈsɪzɚz/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It comes from Middle English sisoures, cisours,^[2][3][4][5] from Old French cisoires (“shears”),^[2][3][4][5] from Vulgar Latin *cisoria (“cutting instrument”),^[2][3][5] from *cīsus, abstracted from compounds such as excīsus, the past participle of excīdere “to cut out”,^[2][3] ultimately from Latin caedo (“to cut”).^[3][4] The spelling with sc- (16th century) was influenced by Medieval Latin scissor (“tailor”), from the unrelated scindere “to split”.^[2][3][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

A cutting tool of two pivoted blades (about 1380–84).^[2][6][3]

Semantic evolution

The spelling was unsettled until the 20th century.^[3] The word is usually used with pair of (from about 1400) to indicate one tool;^[3] a singular form was occasionally used in the 15th century.^[6][3] The OED notes that in England shears is generally used only for tools too large to work with one hand, while in Scotland it covers all sizes.^[3] A wrestling hold with the legs has been called scissors since 1904,^[3][6] and a swimming kick since 1902.^[3]

Timeline

• about 1380 – sisoures.^[2][6]
• about 1400 – pair of scissors.^[3]
• 16th century – spelling with sc-.^[2][3]
• 1843 – Oh scissors!, an exclamation.^[3]
• 1904 – a wrestling hold.^[3][6]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A cutting tool with two blades whose edges slide past each other, each with a ring-shaped handle, often called a pair of scissors.
2. A gymnastic or exercise movement in which the legs open and close like scissors.
3. In wrestling, a hold made by clasping the legs around the opponent's body or head.

Word family

• scissor
• scissors-and-paste
• nail scissors
• scissors kick

Related words

• shears
• chisel
• excise
• incision

Usage notes

Merriam-Webster and Random House note that scissors is plural in form but may be used with a singular or plural verb.^[4][5] Wiktionary notes that in American usage a pair of scissors is preferred to a scissors by about four to one.^[1]

References

1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b c d e Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
6. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press