Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “scabbard” come from?

Scabbard comes from Middle English scabard, from Old French escalberc, of uncertain origin.

scabbard (English): The sheath of a sword; To put an object into its...

Definitions

  1. The sheath of a sword; To put an object into its...

Ancestry of “scabbard”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishscabard—
2Anglo-Normaneschaubert—
3Frankish*skarberg—
4Proto-Germanicbergazhill; mountain; refuge; shelter
5Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰerǵʰ-to rise; high, lofty; hill, mountain

Words derived from “scabbard”

  • scabbarded
  • unscabbarded
  • scabbardless
  • unscabbard
  • scabbardfish
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰerǵʰ- →