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scotch 1 (skŏch)
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tr.v. scotched, scotch·ing, scotch·es
1. To put an abrupt end to: The prime minister scotched the rumors of her illness with a public appearance.
2. To injure so as to render harmless: "Would that the hour were come! We will not scotch, but kill" (George Gordon, Lord Byron).
3. Archaic To cut or score: "He scotched him and notched him like a carbonado" (William Shakespeare).
n.
1. A surface cut or abrasion.
2. A line drawn on the ground, as one used in playing hopscotch.

[Middle English scocchen, to cut, perhaps from Anglo-Norman escocher, to notch : es-, intensive pref. (from Latin ex-; see EX-) + Old French coche, notch (probably from Latin coccum, scarlet oak berry, from Greek kokkos).]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 
scotch 2 (skŏch)
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tr.v. scotched, scotch·ing, scotch·es
To block (a wheel, for example) with a prop to prevent rolling or slipping.
n.
A block or wedge used as a prop behind or under an object likely to roll.

[Origin unknown.]
(click for a larger image)
scotch2

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 
Scotch (skŏch)
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adj.
1. Scottish. See Usage Note at Scottish.
2. Offensive Frugal or stingy.
n.
1. (used with a pl. verb) The people of Scotland.
2. Scots.
3. Scotch whisky.

[Contraction of SCOTTISH.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.