Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “scarp” come from?

scarp (English) comes from English escarp, from French escarpe, from Italian scarpa, from Proto-Germanic skarpaz, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kerb-, from Proto-Indo-European sḱer- — to caw, crow.

scarp (English): the steep artificial slope below a fort's...

Definitions

  1. the steep artificial slope below a fort's...

Ancestry of “scarp”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishescarpThe side of the ditch next to the parapet in a...
2Frenchescarpemurderer, killer; escarpment
3Italianscarpashoe; juxtaposition of a wall inclined to the...
4Proto-Germanicskarpazrough
5Proto-Indo-European(s)kerb-rough, sharp
6Proto-Indo-Europeansḱer-to caw, crow

Words derived from “scarp”

  • counterscarp
  • scarpland
  • backscarp
Every word from Proto-Indo-European sḱer- →