scab

[ skab ]

noun

1. the incrustation that forms over a sore or wound during healing.
2. Veterinary Pathology. a mangy disease in animals, especially sheep; scabies. Compare itch ( def 10 ).
3. Plant Pathology.
   1. a disease of plants characterized by crustlike lesions on the affected parts and caused by a fungus or bacterium.
   2. one of these crustlike lesions.
4. a worker who refuses to join a labor union or to participate in a union strike, who takes a striking worker's place on the job, or the like.
5. Slang. a rascal or scoundrel.
6. Metallurgy.
   1. a projection or roughness on an ingot or casting from a defective mold.
   2. a surface defect on an iron or steel piece resulting from the rolling in of scale.
7. Carpentry. a short, flat piece of wood used for various purposes, as binding two timbers butted together or strengthening a timber at a weak spot.

verb (used without object)

, scabbed, scab·bing.

1. to become covered with a scab.
2. to act or work as a scab.

scab

/ skæb /

noun

1. the dried crusty surface of a healing skin wound or sore
2. a contagious disease of sheep, a form of mange, caused by a mite ( Psoroptes communis )
3. a fungal disease of plants characterized by crusty spots on the fruits, leaves, etc
4. derogatory.
   1. Also calledblackleg a person who refuses to support a trade union's actions, esp one who replaces a worker who is on strike
   2. ( as modifier )

      scab labour

5. a despicable person

verb

1. to become covered with a scab
2. (of a road surface) to become loose so that potholes develop
3. to replace a striking worker

scab

/ skăb /

1. A crust that forms over a healing wound, consisting of dried blood, plasma, and other secretions.

scab

1. Informally, a worker who stays on the job while others go on strike . Also, a worker brought in to keep a plant operating when its work force is on strike. ( See strikebreaker .)

Derived Forms

• ˈscabˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• scablike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of scab¹

1200–50; 1800–10 scab fordef 4; Middle English < Old Norse skabb scab, itch; shabby, shave

Word History and Origins

Origin of scab¹

Old English sceabb; related to Old Norse skabb, Latin scabiēs, Middle Low German schabbe scoundrel, German schäbig shabby

Example Sentences

He ridiculed people who keep bringing up the audio leak scandal, proclaiming that he has moved forward while they “see the scab” from the wound it caused and “continue to scratch and scratch and scratch.”

From Los Angeles Times

This is why United Auto Workers endorsed the Democratic ticket, with the president Shawn Fain calling Trump a "scab."

From Salon

In my opinion, day 1 was the most effective at thwarting the Trump-Vance playbook as it featured union leaders like UAW president Sean Fain, who attacked Trump as a “scab,” and Democratic politicians like AOC and Senator Warnock, who brilliantly folded an economic populist message into the larger “freedom” narrative about gender and minority rights and peace for Israelis and Palestinians.

From Salon

The rash, which can be extremely itchy or painful, changes and goes through different stages before finally forming a scab, which later falls off.

From BBC

No fewer than seven union leaders graced the stage over the course of the evening, most notably United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain, who had the crowd on its feet as he hammered Trump as a “scab”—a word that wasn’t even part of the Democratic lexicon at the previous convention but has since transformed into the ultimate liberal insult.

From Slate

Related Words

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