Where does “scout” come from?

scout (Middle English) comes from Old French escoute, from Old French escouter, from Latin ausculto, from Proto-Italic *auskoltā.

Ancestry of “scout”, step by step

Step	Language	Word	Meaning
1	Old French	escoute	action of listening
2	Old French	escouter	to listen
3	Latin	ausculto	I listen, I hear; I heed, I accept, I obey
4	Proto-Italic	*auskoltā	—

scout — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer