Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A crust discharged from and covering a healing wound.
- n. Scabies or mange in domestic animals or livestock, especially sheep.
- n. Any of various plant diseases caused by fungi or bacteria and resulting in crustlike spots on fruit, leaves, or roots.
- n. The spots caused by such a disease.
- n. Slang A person regarded as contemptible.
- n. A worker who refuses membership in a labor union.
- n. An employee who works while others are on strike; a strikebreaker.
- n. A person hired to replace a striking worker.
- v. To become covered with scabs or a scab.
- v. To work or take a job as a scab.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. An incrusted substance, dry and rough, formed over a sore in healing.
- n. The mange, or some mangy disease caused by the presence of a parasite, as an itch-insect; scabies.
- n. A mean, paltry, or shabby fellow: a term of contempt.
- n. Specifically, in recent use, a workman who is not or refuses to become a member of a labor-union, who refuses to join in a strike, or who takes the place of a striker: an opprobrious term used by the workmen or others who dislike his action.
- n. In botany, a fungous disease affecting various fruits, especially apples and pears, in which a black mold appears, often distorting or destroying the fruit. It is usually followed by a brown scablike appearance, whence the name. The fungus producing the disease in apples and pears is Fusicladium dendriticum. The orange-leaf scab is produced by a species of Cladosporium. See
Fusicladium . - n. In founding, any projection on a casting caused by a defect in the sand-mold.
- Having to do with “scabs,” or made by them: used opprobriously: as, scab mills; scab labor; scab shoes.
- To form a scab or scabby incrustation; become covered with a scab or scabs; specifically, to heal over; cicatrize; repair solution of continuity of a surface by the formation of a new skin or cicatrix.
Wiktionary
- n. An incrustation over a sore, wound, vesicle, or pustule, formed during healing.
- n. The scabies.
- n. The mange, especially when it appears on sheep.
- n. Several different diseases of potatoes producing pits and other damage on their surface, caused by Streptomyces -bacteria.
- n. Short form for common scab, a relatively harmless variety of scab caused by Streptomyces scabies.
- n. Any one of various more or less destructive fungus diseases attacking cultivated plants, and forming dark-colored crustlike spots.
- n. A slight irregular protuberance which defaces the surface of a casting, caused by the breaking away of a part of the mold.
- n. A mean, dirty, paltry fellow.
- n. A worker who acts against trade union policies, especially a strikebreaker.
- v. To get covered by a scab.
- v. To act as strikebreaker.
- v. To beg (for), cadge, bum
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. An incrustation over a sore, wound, vesicle, or pustule, formed by the drying up of the discharge from the diseased part.
- n. The itch in man; also, the scurvy.
- n. The mange, esp. when it appears on sheep.
- n. A disease of potatoes producing pits in their surface, caused by a minute fungus (Tiburcinia Scabies).
- n. A slight irregular protuberance which defaces the surface of a casting, caused by the breaking away of a part of the mold.
- n. A mean, dirty, paltry fellow.
- n. A nickname for a workman who engages for lower wages than are fixed by the trades unions; also, for one who takes the place of a workman on a strike.
- n. Any one of various more or less destructive fungus diseases attacking cultivated plants, and usually forming dark-colored crustlike spots.
- v. To become covered with a scab.
- v. to take the place of a striking worker.
WordNet 3.0
- v. take the place of work of someone on strike
- v. form a scab
- n. someone who works (or provides workers) during a strike
- n. the crustlike surface of a healing skin lesion
Etymologies
- Middle English, from Old Norse skabb.
Examples
“They denied that the term scab has been used in a threatening or intimidating manner.”
“Their hatred for a scab is as terrible as the hatred of a patriot for a traitor, of a Christian for a Judas.”
“The uncompromising and terrible hatred of the trade-unionist for a scab is the hatred of a class for a traitor to that class, -- while the hatred of a trade-unionist for the militia is the hatred of a class for a weapon wielded by the class with which it is fighting.”
“Their hatred for a scab is as terrible as the hatred of a patriot for a traitor, of a”
“The uncompromising and terrible hatred of the trade unionist for a scab is the hatred of a class for a traitor to that class, while the hatred of a trade unionist for the militia is the hatred of a class for a weapon wielded by the class with which it is fighting.”
“The sentimental connotation of "scab" is as terrific as that of "traitor" or "Judas," and a sentimental definition would be as deep and varied as the human heart.”
“A violent accession of noise proclaimed that the mob had broken through and was dragging a scab from a wagon.”
“The labor scab is no more detestable to his brother laborers than is the capitalist scab to his brother capitalists.”
“But on closer investigation, however, it will be seen that the non-scab is almost a vanishing quantity.”
“Under the definition that a scab is one who gives more value for the same price than another, it would seem that society can be generally divided into the two classes of the scabs and the non-scabs.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘scab’.
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Unsavory characters
absconder, aretaloger, arriviste, avaunter, bamboozler, bandit, banger, barbarian, barmecide, barrator, beldam, blatherskite and 190 more...
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Bad Options
words for those who commit particular crimes: i.e., bank robber, arsonist, etc.
liar, cheat, traitor, arsonist, felon, braggard, thief, profiteer, impostor, phony, fraud, culprit and 194 more...
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Open List: Sheepishness
Everything sheep, from Artiodactyla to zodiac.
lanolin, ram, ewe, Artiodactyla, even-toed ungulate, ruminant, Ovis aries, ovine, domestic, domesticated, neotenic, mouflon and 390 more...
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unkind words
unkind words or those refering them.
twit, gibe, blockhead, bonehead, cretin, dullard, imbecile, simpleton, clod, dunce, simp, ignoramus and 39 more...
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Unwanted matter
gangue, dross, slag, scoria, refuse, trash, cinder, ashes, leavings, recrement, debris, waste and 37 more...
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Pterodactyl's Game of Postal Abbreviations
Here's a fun little word game that might appeal to my fellow Wordies. The object of this game is to create the longest possible word, using only the official two-letter abbreviations of U.S. states...
deny, lame, mope, demand, camp, cask, hind, decamp, canvas, scalar, mental, pronks and 75 more...
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Political Pet Names
Ah, the language of endearment...
Feel free to add your favorite insult. Please include quotes or sources if you can. Thanks!
Please note: while this is a list about stuff...nutroots, rethuglican, wingnut, moonbat, libtard, obamabot, bushie, krudd, democrats, republicunts, repubs, leftist and 62 more...

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