*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of scrab

From Middle French and Old French schrabben (“to scrape, scratch”), from Frankish *skaban, from Proto-Germanic *skabaną, from Proto-Indo-European *skabʰ- (“to scratch”); compare Old High German skaban, Irish scríobann an

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 scrape or scratch.

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

From Middle French and Old French schrabben (“to scrape, scratch”), from Frankish *skaban, from Proto-Germanic *skabaną, from Proto-Indo-European *skabʰ- (“to scratch”); compare Old High German skaban, Irish scríobann and sgrìoban.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inspect preserved source fields

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

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":der",
        "3": "fro:schrabben<t:to scrape, scratch><ety:der<frk:*skaban>>",
        "id": "scrape"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#derived_terms|Derived]] from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"gloss\" : \"to scrape, scratch\", \"children\" : [ { \"keyword_abbrev\" : \"der.\", \"keyword_label\" : \"Derived from\", \"terms\" : [ { \"children\" : [ ], \"lang_name\" : \"Frankish\", \"term\" : \"*skaban\", \"status\" : \"missing\", \"lang\" : \"frk\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"lang_name\" : \"Old French\", \"term\" : \"schrabben\", \"status\" : \"inline\", \"lang\" : \"fro\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"derived\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"scrab\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-id=\"scrape\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"scrab\" id=\"English:_scrape\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "frm",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle French"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "fro",
        "3": "schrabben",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to scrape, scratch"
      },
      "expansion": "Old French schrabben (“to scrape, scratch”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "frk",
        "3": "*skaban"
      },
      "expansion": "Frankish *skaban"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*skabaną"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *skabaną"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*skabʰ-",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to scratch"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *skabʰ- (“to scratch”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "goh",
        "2": "skaban"
      },
      "expansion": "Old High German skaban"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ga",
        "2": "scríobann"
      },
      "expansion": "Irish scríobann"
    },
    {
      "name": "ety",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":der",
        "3": "fro:schrabben<t:to scrape, scratch><ety:der<frk:*skaban>>",
        "id": "scrape"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "schrabben",
      "schrabben#Old_French"
    ],
    [
      "*skaban",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/skaban"
    ],
    [
      "*skabaną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/skabaną"
    ],
    [
      "*skabʰ-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/skabʰ-"
    ],
    [
      "skaban",
      "skaban#Old_High_German"
    ],
    [
      "scríobann",
      "scríobann#Irish"
    ],
    [
      "sgrìoban",
      "sgrìoban#Irish"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To scrape or scratch."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "transitive"
      ],
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  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
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    "lexicalSenses": 0,
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A crabapple.

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

From Middle English scrabbe, variant of crabbe (“crabapple”); ultimately of Germanic origin, plausibly from North Germanic, cognate with Swedish dialect scrabba, krabbäpple.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

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": "scrabbe"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English scrabbe"
    },
    {
      "name": "uder",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Germanic"
    },
    {
      "name": "uder",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gmq",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "North Germanic"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "scrabbe",
      "scrabbe#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "crabbe",
      "crabbe#Middle_English:_crabapple"
    ],
    [
      "scrabba",
      "scrabba#Swedish"
    ],
    [
      "krabbäpple",
      "krabbäpple#Swedish"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A crabapple."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "b1bc48f8d27cb0a94f427acb3941c5fff67c952bbc40d9f976471dedfdc484bf",
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      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 4862316
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 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 scrab →

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-c2NyYWI