scarify
to make scratches or superficial incisions in (the skin), to produce an immune response or administer certain injections: The smallpox vaccine, which was administered by scarifying the skin, left a telltale scar on the upper arm. During the therapeutic procedure of wet cupping, the practitioner scarifies the skin after suction.
to scratch, etch, cut, or burn designs or images into the skin in order to create permanent decorative or symbolic scars.
to lacerate by severe criticism.
to loosen (the soil) with a type of cultivator.
to hasten the sprouting of (hard-covered seeds) by making incisions in the seed coats.
to break up (a road surface).
Origin of scarify
1Other words from scarify
- scar·i·fi·er, noun
- un·scar·i·fied, adjective
Words that may be confused with scarify
- scarify , scorify
Words Nearby scarify
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use scarify in a sentence
Dickens is going to put an article on the subject in Household Words, in order to scarify the rascally bookseller.
George Eliot's Life, Vol. II (of 3) | George EliotTo relieve their wearied legs and feet after long marches, they scarify the former with sharp flints.
The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft, Volume 1 | Hubert Howe BancroftWhen fatigued by travel they scarify their legs with a sharpened reed or snakes' teeth.
The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft, Volume 1 | Hubert Howe BancroftHis political jingles were the delight or vexation of partisans as they happened to ridicule or scarify this side or that.
Eugene Field, A Study In Heredity And Contradictions | Slason ThompsonIncapable of checking a witty saying, he would scarify his two neighbors before a dinner was half over.
Bureaucracy | Honore de Balzac
British Dictionary definitions for scarify (1 of 2)
/ (ˈskɛərɪˌfaɪ, ˈskærɪ-) /
surgery to make tiny punctures or superficial incisions in (the skin or other tissue), as for inoculating
agriculture
to break up and loosen (soil) to a shallow depth
to scratch or abrade the outer surface of (seeds) to increase water absorption or hasten germination
to wound with harsh criticism
Origin of scarify
1Derived forms of scarify
- scarification, noun
- scarifier, noun
British Dictionary definitions for scarify (2 of 2)
/ (ˈskɛərɪˌfaɪ) /
(tr) informal to make scared; frighten
Origin of scarify
2usage For scarify
Derived forms of scarify
- scarifyingly, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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