Scrap Means a Fragment and Also a Fight
A scrap is a small leftover piece. A separate sense means a brief fight, and the two are probably unrelated.
A scrap is a small leftover piece, and collectively material discarded for recycling. A second sense, a brief fight or quarrel, appeared in the 1800s and is probably a separate word — possibly a shortening of *scrape*, in the sense of getting into a scrape. The fragment sense is Old Norse *skrap*, scraps or trifles. *Not a scrap* means not the slightest amount, and to *scrap* a plan is to discard it as worthless.
- A small piece. *A scrap of paper.*
- Discarded material. *Scrap metal.*
- To discard. *Scrap the plan.*
- A brief fight. *A scrap in the yard.*
- Old Norse — *skrap*, scraps. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | scrap | A scrap. |
| Plural | scraps | Scraps. |
| Verb | scrap | Scrap it. |
| Compound | scrapyard | A scrapyard. |
| Compound | scrapbook | A scrapbook. |
- He wrote it on a scrap of paper.Fragment.
- The car went for scrap.Material.
- They had a scrap outside.Fight.
Scrap compounds
- Scrapbook — an album for pasted cuttings
- Scrapyard — where discarded metal is collected
- Scrap heap — literal or figurative discard pile
- Scrappy — either made of fragments or eager to fight
- Scraps — leftover food, often for animals
Old Norse *skrap*, scraps or trifles, related to *skrapa*, to scrape. The fighting sense is separate and later.
Are the two senses of scrap related?
Probably not. The fragment sense is Norse; the fighting sense appeared in the 1800s, possibly from scrape.
What does scrappy mean?
Either made of odd fragments, or eager and combative, depending on which sense of scrap is behind it.