scar

¹ American  

[skahr] / skɑr /

noun

1. a mark left by a healed wound, sore, or burn.

2. a lasting aftereffect of trouble, especially a lasting psychological injury resulting from suffering or trauma.

3. any blemish remaining as a trace of or resulting from injury or use.

4. Botany. a mark indicating a former point of attachment, as where a leaf has fallen from a stem.

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verb (used with object)

scarred, scarring

1. to mark with a scar.

verb (used without object)

scarred, scarring

1. to form a scar in healing.

scar ² American  

[skahr] / skɑr /

noun

British.

1. a precipitous, rocky place; cliff.

2. a low or submerged rock in the sea.

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scar ¹ British  

/ skɑː /

noun

1. any mark left on the skin or other tissue following the healing of a wound

2. a permanent change in a person's character resulting from emotional distress

   his wife's death left its scars on him

3. the mark on a plant indicating the former point of attachment of a part, esp the attachment of a leaf to a stem

4. a mark of damage; blemish

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verb

1. to mark or become marked with a scar

2. (intr) to heal leaving a scar

scar ² British  

/ skɑː /

noun

1. an irregular enlongated trench-like feature on a land surface that often exposes bedrock

2. a similar formation in a river or sea

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Other Word Forms

• scarless adjective

Etymology

Origin of scar¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; shortening of eschar

Origin of scar²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English scarre, skerre, from Old Norse sker skerry

Example Sentences

Despite the hot, angry tears that blur my vision, the truth I’ve been avoiding for so long cuts deep, leaving a scar so I’ll never forget.

From Literature

But when he crouched to the ground, the illusion fell away, and he was met with nothing but a scarred brown floorboard.

From Literature

IPF is a chronic, progressive lung disease characterized by irreversible scarring and stiffening of lung tissue.

From Barron's

A buildout of the claims could end public access to the area and permanently scar the landscape, drawing traffic and light pollution and harming springs and groundwater stores, he said.

From Los Angeles Times

If Venkatesham and Lange get the next big decision wrong it could conceivably end with Spurs in the Championship, leaving a scar on their record that would be impossible to recover from.

From BBC

Related Words

• blister
• crater
• defect
• discoloration
• disfigurement
• flaw
• scab
• wound