scratch

English Online Dictionary. What means scratch‎? What does scratch mean?

English

Etymology

From Middle English scracchen, of uncertain origin. Probably a blend of Middle English scratten (“to scratch”) and cracchen (“to scratch”). More at scrat and cratch.

Pronunciation

• enPR: skrăch, IPA^(key): /skɹæt͡ʃ/
• Rhymes: -ætʃ

Verb

scratch (third-person singular simple present scratches, present participle scratching, simple past and past participle scratched)

2. To rub a surface with a sharp object, especially by a living creature to remove itching with nails, claws, etc.
4. To rub the skin with rough material causing a sensation of irritation; to cause itching.
   2. To irritate someone's skin with one's unshaven beard when kissing.
6. To mark a surface with a sharp object, thereby leaving a scratch (noun).

7. (of a surface) to get such scratches

9. To cross out, strike out, strike through some text on a page.
   2. Hence, to remove, ignore, or delete.

10. (music) To produce a distinctive sound on a turntable by moving a vinyl record back and forth while manipulating the crossfader (see also scratching).
11. (billiards) To commit a foul in pool, as where the cue ball is put into a pocket or jumps off the table.

12. (billiards, dated, US) To score, not by skillful play but by some fortunate chance of the game.
14. To write or draw hastily or awkwardly; scrawl.
15. (transitive, intransitive) To dig or excavate with the claws.

17. To dig or scrape (a person's skin) with claws or fingernails in self-defense or with the intention to injure.

18. (swimming, athletics) To announce one's non-participation in a race or sports event part of a larger sports meeting that one was previously signed up for, usually in lieu of another event at the same meeting.

Synonyms

• scrattle

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

scratch (countable and uncountable, plural scratches)

2. A disruption, mark or shallow cut on a surface made by scratching.
3. An act of scratching the skin to alleviate an itch or irritation.

4. (sports)
   1. A starting line (originally and simply, a line scratched in the ground), as in boxing.
   2. A technical error of touching or surpassing the starting mark prior to the official start signal in the sporting events of long jump, discus, hammer throw, shot put, and similar. Originally the starting mark was a scratch on the ground but is now a board or precisely indicated mark.
   3. (cycling) The last riders to depart in a handicap race.
   4. (billiards) An aberration.
      1. A foul in pool, as where the cue ball is put into a pocket or jumps off the table.
      2. (archaic, US, slang) A shot which scores by chance and not as intended by the player; a fluke.
   5. (horse racing) A horse withdrawn from a race prior to the start.

5. (meiosis) A minor injury.

6. (slang) Money.
7. A feed, usually a mixture of a few common grains, given to chickens.
8. (in the plural) Minute, but tender and troublesome, excoriations, covered with scabs, upon the heels of horses which have been used where it is very wet or muddy.
9. (now historical) A scratch wig.
   • 1775, Frances Burney, Journals & Letters, Penguin 2001, 26 March:

     [H]e turned to him with a dejected Face, and said ‘ – pray Sir, – could you touch up This a little?’ taking hold of his frightful scratch.

10. (music) A genre of Virgin Islander music, better known as fungi.
11. Scrawled or illegible handwriting; chicken scratch.

Synonyms

• (Virgin Islander music): fungi, quelbe

Derived terms

Translations

Adjective

scratch (not comparable)

1. For or consisting of preliminary or tentative, incomplete, etc. work.

2. Hastily assembled, arranged or constructed, from whatever materials are to hand, with little or no preparation
3. (computing) Relating to a scratchpad, a data structure or recording medium attached to a machine for testing or temporary use.

   scratch memory

4. (sports) (of a player) Of a standard high enough to play without a handicap, i.e. to compete without the benefit of a variation in scoring based on ability.

Derived terms

• scratch pad
• scratch paper
• scratch sheet
• scratch tape

References

• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “scratch”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
• The Jargon File - Scratch

French

Etymology

Borrowed from English scratch.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /skʁatʃ/

Noun

scratch m (plural scratchs)

1. Velcro

   Synonym: velcro

Further reading

• “scratch”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from English scratch.

Noun

scratch m (invariable)

1. (music) scratch

Polish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English scratch.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈskrɛt͡ʂ/
• Rhymes: -ɛt͡ʂ
• Syllabification: scratch
• Homophone: skrecz

Noun

scratch m inan

1. (cycling, music, tennis) Alternative spelling of skrecz

Declension

Derived terms

Further reading

• scratch in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• scratch in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Spanish

Etymology

Unadapted borrowing from English scratch.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /esˈkɾat͡ʃ/ [esˈkɾat͡ʃ]
• Rhymes: -atʃ

Noun

scratch m (plural scratchs)

1. (music) scratch

Usage notes

According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.