scrimshaw
To create by carving or engraving on bone, ivory, or other materialsTo create (a small ornamental handicraft also called a scrimshaw) by carving or engraving on bone (originally whalebone or whales' teeth), ivory, or other materials.
Meaning
4 senses(transitive)To create (a small ornamental handicraft also called a scrimshaw) by carving or engraving on bone (originally whalebone or whales' teeth), ivory, or other materials.
(transitive)To carve or engrave (bone, ivory, or other materials) with ornamental designs.
(transitive)To carve or engrave (ornamental designs) on bone, ivory, or other materials.
(intransitive)To make a handicraft of scrimshaw.
вырезать из раковиныvyrezatʹ iz rakoviny, вырезать из слоновой костиvyrezatʹ iz slonovoj kosti
Translations
2 languagesBy meaning 1
Origin
The origin of the verb is unknown, but it has possibly been influenced by the surname ScriThe origin of the verb is unknown, but it has possibly been influenced by the surname Scrimshaw. Various etymologies have been proposed (for example, that it derives from scrimshank (“(Britain, military slang) to be idle, to shirk duty”)), but the Oxford English Dictionary does not consider any of them convincing. Following the surname theory, Etymonline ultimately derives the word probably from Old French escremisseor (“fencing-master”).
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
scrimshaws, scrimshawing, scrimshawed, scrimshawed| Base form | scrimshaw · to scrimshaw |
|---|---|
| 3rd person singular | scrimshaws |
| Present participle | scrimshawing |
| Past simple | scrimshawed |
| Past participle | scrimshawed |
regular · Lesson
Word family
1 related wordsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.