scalp
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scalp
- /skælp/
Rhymes with -ælp
Where it comes from
From Middle English scalp, skalp, scalpe (“crown of the head; skull”). Originally a northern word, and therefore probably from a North Germanic source, although the sense-development is unclear; compare Sylt North Frisian Skolp (“dandruff”), Old Norse skálpr (“sheath”), Old Swedish skalp, Dutch schelp (“shell”).
noun scalps
-
The top of the head; the skull.
Similar: skull
- The part of the head where the hair grows from, or used to grow from. By the bare scalpe of Robin Hoods fat Fryer, / This fellow were a King, for our wilde faction.
- A part of the skin of the head, with the hair attached, formerly cut or torn off from an enemy by warriors in some cultures as a token of victory. Some tribes used to collect scalps to prove how many of the enemy they had killed in battle.
- The skin of the head of a stag, to which the horns are attached. He bears for Arms : Argent, on a chevron invected gules, between two bugle-horns sable, stringed of the second in chief, and the attires of a stag affixed to the scalp in base of the third, two fasces chevronways or.
- A victory, especially at the expense of someone else. [At the American State Convention in 1856 the Hon E. M. Yerger of Yazoo said that] he came up to the great council fire of his people, not like his friends Cobb, Hillyer and Brooke, with no scalps at his girdle that he had had a fight and a glorious victory.
-
A bed or stratum of shellfish.
Similar: scaup
-
The top; the summit.
the snowy scalp of Ben Cruachan
Similar: summit
verb scalps · scalping · scalped
- To remove the scalp (part of the head from where the hair grows), by brutal act or accident. Next morning, the Indians attacked us and one of our hunters, George Huffman, was killed and scalped. As soon as Baldwin heard the shooting, he came to our assistance.
-
To resell, especially tickets, usually for an inflated price, often illegally.
Tickets were being scalped for $300.
Similar: resell
- To bet on opposing competitors so as to make a profit from the bookmaker. The only sure thing about scalping the Series today is that the scalper is paying the bookie a greater profit because he is making a greater number of bets.
- On an open outcry exchange trading floor, to buy and sell rapidly for one's own account, aiming to buy from a seller and a little later sell to a buyer, making a small profit from the difference (roughly the amount of the bid/offer spread, or less).
-
To screen or sieve ore before further processing.
scalped ore
Similar: sieve
- To remove the skin of. We must […]"scalp" the whole lid [of the eye].
- To remove the grass from.
- To destroy the political influence of.
- To brush the hairs or fuzz from (wheat grains, etc.) in the process of high milling.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: head, skin, surface, skull, cranium, ringworm, pate, noddle, sconce, skullcap, poll, crown, headskin, integument, epidermis, dermis
Translations
Every language
noun part of head where the hair grows
| Español | cuero cabelludo, pericráneo |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 頭皮 tōhi |
| 中文 | 頭皮 /头皮 tóupí |
| Português | couro cabeludo |
| Français | cuir chevelu |
| Deutsch | Kopfhaut |
| Italiano | scalpo, cotenna, cuoio capelluto |
| Русский | скальп skalʹp, ко́жа головы́ kóža golový |
| Tiếng Việt | da đầu |
| العربية | فَرْوَة اَلرَّأْس farwat ar-raʔs |
| עברית | קרקפת karkéfet |
noun part of the skin of the head of an enemy kept as a trophy
| Português | escalpo |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | Skalp |
| Italiano | scalpo, cotenna |
| Русский | скальп skalʹp |
verb to remove part of the head
| Español | descabellar |
|---|---|
| Português | escalpelar, escalpar |
| Français | scalper |
| Italiano | fare lo scalpo, scotennare, scalpare |
| Română | scalpa |
Talk about this word "scalp." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/scalp. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. scalp. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/scalp "scalp." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/scalp.Cite this
@misc{scalp_2026,
title = {scalp},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/scalp},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
