English word origin

Etymology of scoff

From Middle English scof, skof, probably of North Germanic origin. Compare Old Norse skaup, Old Danish skof, Old Frisian skof (“insult, shame”), and Old High German scoph.

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

verb

To jeer; to laugh with contempt and derision. · To mock; to treat with scorn.

noun

A derisive or mocking expression of scorn, contempt, or reproach. · An object of scorn, mockery, or derision.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English scof, skof, probably of North Germanic origin. Compare Old Norse skaup, Old Danish skof, Old Frisian skof (“insult, shame”), and Old High German scoph.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentionscofenm
Cognate mentionskaupnon
Cognate mentionskofgmq-oda
Cognate mentionskofofs · insult, shame
Cognate mentionscophgoh

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "scof"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English scof"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmq",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "North Germanic"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "non",
        "2": "skaup"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse skaup"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "gmq-oda",
        "2": "skof"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Danish skof"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ofs",
        "2": "skof",
        "t": "insult, shame"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Frisian skof (“insult, shame”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "goh",
        "2": "scoph"
      },
      "expansion": "Old High German scoph"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "scof",
      "scof#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "skof",
      "skof#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "skaup",
      "skaup#Old_Norse"
    ],
    [
      "skof",
      "skof#Old_Danish"
    ],
    [
      "skof",
      "skof#Old_Frisian"
    ],
    [
      "scoph",
      "scoph#Old_High_German"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To jeer; to laugh with contempt and derision.",
        "To mock; to treat with scorn."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "intransitive",
        "transitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "66145c479a21f81a06e8df8b5f20b5c4eccf5dd2286de51941b2d519292eede4",
      "rawRecordSha256": "7c63352e990f14ebf2124fc4e9be78c1c3c531f44912d2be565bd2d0b67d4304",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 239307
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A derisive or mocking expression of scorn, contempt, or reproach.",
        "An object of scorn, mockery, or derision."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "9de4e689363f57b07a8196343c8d841b5b5956a37885af42f8b60c1125591e7a",
      "rawRecordSha256": "32b398d493508b66d16bd779a06a5fe524171c4264898253e288f94e15038426",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 239306
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

verb

To eat food quickly. · To eat.

noun

Food. · The act of eating.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

A variant, attested since the mid 19th century, of scaff, of uncertain origin. Compare scarf (“eat quickly”).

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [],
  "links": [
    [
      "scaff",
      "scaff#English"
    ],
    [
      "scarf",
      "scarf#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To eat food quickly.",
        "To eat."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Australia",
        "Newfoundland",
        "UK",
        "slang",
        "British-Army",
        "South-Africa"
      ],
      "recordId": "a4694021066fab2933e851d1b0d1dd90da7276bee5283ae40273dd23fc17789a",
      "rawRecordSha256": "c375d4595a874900647323596a9c0d21ff88c8562ad62cb7cef57b5f45ccb1bf",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 239309
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Food.",
        "The act of eating."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "British-Army",
        "Newfoundland",
        "South-Africa",
        "countable",
        "slang",
        "uncountable"
      ],
      "recordId": "e9db293a0efda7a31aa43044e4a3c3934a521b9159e5b817f7d2a399f06fe140",
      "rawRecordSha256": "bbb7f101ef8bedb721c605e94498ae143d7a838a02bbc16795b3e2b2aec8efd3",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 239308
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for scoff →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-c2NvZmY