scat

¹

[ skat ]

verb (used without object)

, Informal.

, scat·ted, scat·ting.

1. to go off hastily (often used in the imperative).

scat

²

[ skat ]

verb (used without object)

, scat·ted, scat·ting.

1. to sing by making full or partial use of the technique of scat singing, in which the singer substitutes improvised nonsense syllables for the words of a song.

noun

1. scat singing.

scat

³

[ skat ]

noun

1. the excrement of a wild animal.

scat

⁴

[ skat ]

noun

, Slang.

1. heroin.

scat

⁵

or scatt

[ skat ]

noun

1. (in the Shetland and Orkney Islands) a crown tax, as for use of common lands.

scat-

⁶

1. variant of scato- before a vowel.

scat

¹

/ skæt /

noun

1. an animal dropping

scat

²

/ skæt /

noun

1. any marine and freshwater percoid fish of the Asian family Scatophagidae, esp Scatophagus argus, which has a beautiful coloration

scat

³

/ skæt /

verb

1. informal.
   intr; usually imperative to go away in haste

scat

⁴

/ skæt /

noun

1. a type of jazz singing characterized by improvised vocal sounds instead of words

verb

1. intr to sing jazz in this way

Word History and Origins

Origin of scat¹

An Americanism dating back to 1865–70; of uncertain origin

Origin of scat²

First recorded in 1925–30; of uncertain origin

Origin of scat³

First recorded in 1925–30; origin uncertain; compare British dialect (southwestern) scat “to scatter, fling down, bespatter”; Greek skat- (stem of skôr “dung”; scato- ) is an unlikely source, given popular character of the word and unmotivated derivation pattern

Origin of scat⁴

First recorded in 1945–50; of uncertain origin; compare earlier scat (slang) “whiskey”

Origin of scat⁵

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Old Norse skattr “tax, treasure”

Word History and Origins

Origin of scat¹

C20: see scato-

Origin of scat²

C20: shortened from Scatophagus; see scato-

Origin of scat³

C19: perhaps from a hiss + the word cat, used to frighten away cats

Origin of scat⁴

C20: perhaps imitative

Example Sentences

For music, the show has an original score by the veteran trombonist Craig Harris, played by a jazz band that includes three vocalists who do sometimes scat.

From New York Times

“Like claw marks on a tree, or a big pile of bear scat.”

From Literature

They also have the potential to help restore balance in an ecosystem that once relied on the apex predator as gardeners — tilling soils for plants and dispersing seeds through their scat.

From Seattle Times

A keystone species, the bears are known to till and aerate soil as they search for potato-like roots like Alpine sweetvetch, munch on berries, and later deposit the seeds through their scat.

From Seattle Times

Researchers have mostly determined what fosas eat by examining bones and other evidence left behind in scat.

From Science Daily