A Score Was a Notch Cut in a Stick
Scoring is recording points. The word comes from a notch, which is how tallies were kept, and it is also why a score means twenty.
Scoring is recording points or marks. The Old Norse *skor* meant a notch, and accounts were once kept by cutting notches into a stick. Every twentieth notch was cut larger, which is why a *score* also means twenty — as in Lincoln's four score and seven years.
- Recording points. *Live scoring.*
- Achieving points. *Scoring twice in ten minutes.*
- Cutting a shallow line. *Score the pastry.*
- Writing music parts. *Scoring for strings.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | scoring | Low scoring. |
| Verb | score | Score a goal. |
| Noun | score | The final score. |
| Noun | score | A film score. |
| Number | score | Three score years. |
How it is used in a sentence
- It was a low-scoring match.Sport.
- Score the skin before roasting.Cooking: shallow cuts.
- He wrote the score for the film.Music.
Where score turns up
- Sport — points recorded
- Music — the written parts for all instruments
- Cooking — shallow cuts made before cooking
- Counting — twenty, from the tally notch
- Settle a score — repay a wrong, from the tally of debts
From Old Norse *skor*, a notch or tally, related to *shear* and *share*. Tally sticks were used in English government accounting until the nineteenth century.
Why does a score mean twenty?
From tally sticks, where every twentieth notch was cut deeper as a marker. Counting proceeded in twenties.
What does *settle a score* mean?
To repay a wrong. The image is of clearing a debt recorded on a tally.