scabrous

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. adjective rough to the touch; covered with scales or scurf
  2. adjective dealing with salacious or indecent material

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin scaber (“scabrous, rough; scabby, mangy, itchy”) (from scabō (“to scratch, scrape, abrade”), from Proto-Indo-European *skabʰ- (“to scratch”)) + English -ous; compare French scabreux, Late Latin scabrōsus.

In classic literature

Synonyms

lepidote, leprose, scaly, scurfy

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