*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of scone

Originally Scots, possibly from Middle Low German schö̂ne (“fine flour bread”), or Middle Dutch schoonbroot (“fine bread; a kind of flat angular loaf”), from schoon (“fine”) + broot (“bread”). Alternatively, might derive

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.

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 1/2

Original entry ↗
noun

A small, rich, pastry or quick bread, sometimes baked on a griddle. · Frybread served with honey butter spread on it. · The head.

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

Originally Scots, possibly from Middle Low German schö̂ne (“fine flour bread”), or Middle Dutch schoonbroot (“fine bread; a kind of flat angular loaf”), from schoon (“fine”) + broot (“bread”). Alternatively, might derive from Scottish Gaelic sgonn (“lump, mouthful”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Derivation mentionschö̂negml · fine flour bread
  • Derivation mentionschoonbrootdum · fine bread; a kind of flat angular loaf
  • Derivation mentionsgonngd · lump, mouthful
Inspect preserved source fields

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

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "sco",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Scots"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gml",
        "3": "schö̂ne",
        "t": "fine flour bread"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle Low German schö̂ne (“fine flour bread”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "dum",
        "3": "schoonbroot",
        "t": "fine bread; a kind of flat angular loaf"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle Dutch schoonbroot (“fine bread; a kind of flat angular loaf”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gd",
        "3": "sgonn",
        "t": "lump, mouthful"
      },
      "expansion": "Scottish Gaelic sgonn (“lump, mouthful”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "schö̂ne",
      "schone#Middle_Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "schoonbroot",
      "schoonbroot#Middle_Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "schoon",
      "schoon#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "broot",
      "broot#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "sgonn",
      "sgonn#Scottish_Gaelic"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Samoan",
      "lang_code": "sm",
      "word": "sikoni",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A small, rich, pastry or quick bread, sometimes baked on a griddle.",
        "Frybread served with honey butter spread on it.",
        "The head."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Australia",
        "New-Zealand",
        "informal"
      ],
      "recordId": "b51ba3ec94b61eca6811b0f0ab140dfa7f7eb315551735e4da953d9b77eb3445",
      "rawRecordSha256": "8af48a3922a88a4e91f8d94cf374203d226d47b5a0189273027365a4d640c8be",
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    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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  }
}

Unnumbered source etymology · variant 2/2

Original entry ↗
verb

To hit on the head.

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

Originally Scots, possibly from Middle Low German schö̂ne (“fine flour bread”), or Middle Dutch schoonbroot (“fine bread; a kind of flat angular loaf”), from schoon (“fine”) + broot (“bread”). Alternatively, might derive from Scottish Gaelic sgonn (“lump, mouthful”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

  • Derivation mentionschö̂negml · fine flour bread
  • Derivation mentionschoonbrootdum · fine bread; a kind of flat angular loaf
  • Derivation mentionsgonngd · lump, mouthful
Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "sco",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Scots"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gml",
        "3": "schö̂ne",
        "t": "fine flour bread"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle Low German schö̂ne (“fine flour bread”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "dum",
        "3": "schoonbroot",
        "t": "fine bread; a kind of flat angular loaf"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle Dutch schoonbroot (“fine bread; a kind of flat angular loaf”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gd",
        "3": "sgonn",
        "t": "lump, mouthful"
      },
      "expansion": "Scottish Gaelic sgonn (“lump, mouthful”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "schö̂ne",
      "schone#Middle_Low_German"
    ],
    [
      "schoonbroot",
      "schoonbroot#Middle_Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "schoon",
      "schoon#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "broot",
      "broot#Dutch"
    ],
    [
      "sgonn",
      "sgonn#Scottish_Gaelic"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To hit on the head."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Australia",
        "New-Zealand",
        "slang",
        "transitive"
      ],
      "recordId": "3c26e1d6d71bc008d6dc95273455bf76ba55c3962868ef3cd4763055dbc5825b",
      "rawRecordSha256": "c3063c36e9b74b53e651349a62944b5ec15bd98fad9d347d347fd9949501e017",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 269583
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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  }
}

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 scone →

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-c2NvbmU