Online Etymology Dictionary

scofflaw (n.): 1924, from scoff (v.) + law (n.). The winning entry in a national contest during Prohibition to coin a word to characterize a person who drinks illegally, chosen from more than 25,000 entries; the $200 winning prize was split between two contestants who sent in the word separately, Henry Irving Dale and Miss Kate L. Butler. Other similar attempts did not stick, cf. pitilacker (1926), winning entry in Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals contest to establish a scolding word for one who is cruel to animals (submitted by Mrs. M. McIlvaine Bready of Mickleton, N.J.).
scold (n.): mid-12c., "person of ribald speech," also "person fond of abusive language," from Old Norse skald "poet" (see skald). The sense evolution may reflect the fact that Germanic poets (like their Celtic counterparts) were famously feared for their ability to lampoon and mock (e.g. skaldskapr "poetry," also, in Icelandic law books, "libel in verse"). From the beginning, used especially of females [Johnson defines it as "A clamourous, rude, mean, low, foul-mouthed woman"]. The verb is attested from late 14c.
scolex: 1855, from Modern Latin scolex, from Greek skolex "worm," related to skolyptesthai "to twist and turn."
scoliosis (n.): 1706, Modern Latin, from Greek skoliosis "crookedness," from skolios "bent, curved," from PIE root *(s)qel- "crooked, curved, bent, perverted."
sconce (n.): late 14c., "candlestick with a screen," a shortening of Old French esconse "lantern, hiding place," from Medieval Latin sconsa, from Latin absconsa, fem. past participle of abscondere "to hide" (see abscond). Meaning "metal bracket-candlestick fastened to a wall" is recorded from mid-15c.
scone (n.): "thin, flat cake," 1510s, Scottish, probably shortened from Dutch schoon brood "fine bread," from Middle Dutch schoonbroot, from schoon, scone "bright, beautiful" (see sheen) + broot (see bread (n.)).
scooch (v.): by 1987, informal. Related: Scooched; scooching.
scoop: early 14c., "utensil for bailing out" (n.), also (v.) "to bail out;" from Middle Dutch schope "bucket for bailing water," from West Germanic *skopo (cf. Middle Low German schope "ladle"), from Proto-Germanic *skop-, from PIE *(s)kep- "to cut, to scrape, to hack." Also from Low German scheppen (v.) "to draw water," from Proto-Germanic *skuppon, from PIE root *skub- (cf. Old English sceofl "shovel," Old Saxon skufla; see shove). The journalistic sense of "news published before a rival" is first recorded 1874, American English, from earlier commercial slang sense of "appropriate so as to exclude competitors" (c.1850).
scoot (v.): 1758, possibly from a Scandinavian source (cf. Old Norse skjota "to shoot") related to shoot (v.). Related: Scooted; scooting.
scooter (n.): 1825, "one who goes quickly," agent noun from scoot (v.). Also in 19c. a type of plow and a syringe. As a child's toy, from 1919 (but the reference indicates earlier use), as short for motor scooter from 1917.
scop (n.): "poet, minstrel," Old English scop, cognate with Old High German scoph "poetry, sport, jest," Old Norse skop "railing, mockery" (see scoff (v.)).
scopa (n.): tuft of hairs on a bee's leg, from Latin scopae (plural) "twigs, shoots; a broom, brush," related to scapus "shaft" (cf. scullion).
scope (n.1): "extent," 1530s, "room to act," from Italian scopo "aim, purpose, object, thing aimed at, mark, target," from Latin scopus, from Greek skopos "aim, target, watcher," from PIE *spek- "to observe" (cf. Sanskrit spasati "sees;" Avestan spasyeiti "spies;" Greek skopein "behold, look, consider," skeptesthai "to look at;" Latin specere "to look at;" Old High German spehhon "to spy," German spähen "to spy"). Sense of "distance the mind can reach, extent of view" first recorded c.1600.
scope (n.2): "instrument for viewing," 1872, abstracted from telescope, microscope, etc., from Greek skopein "to look" (see scope (n.1)). Earlier used as a shortening of horoscope (c.1600).
scope (v.): "to view," 1807, from the source of scope (n.2). Related: Scoped; scoping.
scopophilia (n.): "voyeurism," 1924 (in a translation of Freud), from Greek -skopia "observation" (see scope (n.1)) + -philia. In early use often scoptophilia through a mistake by Freud's translators. Related: Scopophiliac.
scorbutic (adj.): 1650s, from Modern Latin scorbuticus "pertaining to scurvy," from scorbutus "scurvy," from French scorbut, apparently of Dutch (scheurbuik) or Low German (Scharbock) origin; see scurvy.
scorch (v.): c.1200, perhaps from Old Norse skorpna "to be shriveled," cognate with Old English scrimman "to shrink, dry up." Or perhaps from Old French escorchier "to strip off the skin," from Vulgar Latin excorticare "to flay," from ex- + Latin cortex (genitive corticis) "cork;" but OED finds this not likely. Scorched earth military strategy is 1937, translation of Chinese jiaotu, used against the Japanese in their advance into China.
scorcher (n.): "very hot day," 1874, agent noun from scorch (v.). It also meant, at various times, "stinging attack" (1842), "pretty girl" (1881), "line drive in baseball" (1900).
score (n.): late Old English scoru "twenty," from Old Norse skor "mark, tally," also, in Icelandic, "twenty," from Proto-Germanic *skura-, from PIE root *(s)ker- "to cut" (cf. Old English sceran; see shear).

The connecting notion is perhaps counting large numbers (of sheep, etc.) with a notch in a stick for each 20. This counting notion is the origin of the modern sense in sports (1742, originally in whist). In Old French, "twenty" (vint) or a multiple of it could be used as a base, e.g. vint et doze ("32"), dous vinz et diz ("50"). Meaning "printed piece of music" first recorded 1701, from the practice of connecting related staves by scores of lines.
score (v.): "to cut with incisions or notches," c.1400, see score (n.); the slang sense "achieve intercourse" first recorded 1960. Related: Scored; scoring.
scorn (n.): c.1200, a shortening of Old French escarn "mockery, derision, contempt," a common Romanic word (cf. Spanish escarnio, Italian scherno) of Germanic origin, from Proto-Germanic *skarnjan "mock, deride" (cf. Old High German skern "mockery, jest, sport," Middle High German scherzen "to jump with joy").

Probably influenced by Old French escorne "affront, disgrace," which is a back-formation from escorner, literally "to break off (someone's) horns," from Vulgar Latin *excornare (source of Italian scornare "treat with contempt"), from Latin ex- "without" + cornu "horn."
scorn (v.): c.1200, from Old French escharnir, Anglo-French, Old North French escarnir, from the source of scorn (n.). Related: Scorned; scorning.
scornful (adj.): late 14c.; see scorn (n.) + -ful. Related: Scornfully.
Scorpio (n.): zodiacal constellation, late 14c., from Latin scorpio "scorpion" (see scorpion). The meaning "person born under or ruled by the sign of Scorpio" is recorded from 1968.
scorpion (n.): early 13c., from Old French scorpion, from Latin scorpionem (nominative scorpio), extended form of scorpius, from Greek skorpios "a scorpion," from PIE root *(s)ker- "to cut" (see shear). The Spanish alacran "scorpion" is from Arabic al-'aqrab.
Scot: Old English Scottas (plural) "inhabitants of Ireland, Irishmen," from Late Latin Scotti (c.400), of uncertain origin, perhaps from Celtic (but answering to no known tribal name; Irish Scots appears to be a Latin borrowing). The name followed the Irish tribe which invaded Scotland after the Romans withdrew from Britain in 423 C.E., and after the time of Alfred the Great the Old English word described Irish who had settled in the northwest of Britain.
scot-free: Old English scotfreo "exempt from royal tax," from scot "royal tax," from Old Norse skot "contribution, reckoning, shot" + freo (see free). Related to Old English sceotan "to pay, contribute," Dutch schot, German Schoß "tax, contribution" (see shot). Old French escot (French écot) "share" is from Germanic.
scotch (v.): "stamp out, crush," 1825, earlier "make harmless for a time" (1798; a sense that derives from the reading of "Macbeth" III.ii.13), from scocchen "to cut, score, gash" (early 15c.), perhaps from Anglo-French escocher, Old French cocher "to notch, nick," from coche "a notch, groove," perhaps from Latin coccum "berry of the scarlet oak," which appears notched, from Greek kokkos. Related: Scotched; scotching.
Scotch (adj.): "of Scotland," 1590s, contraction of Scottish. Disdained by the Scottish because of the many insulting and pejorative formations made from it by the English (e.g. Scotch attorney, a Jamaica term from 1864 for strangler vines). As a noun, elliptical for Scotch whisky, it is attested from 1778. Scotch-Irish is from 1876; more properly Scots-Irish (1972), from Scots (mid-14c.), the older adjective, which is from Scottis, the northern variant of Scottish. Scotch Tape was said to be so called because at first it had adhesive only on the edges (to make it easier to remove as a masking tape in car paint jobs), which was interpreted as a sign of cheapness on the part of the manufacturers.
Scotland: named for the Scots, who settled there from Ireland 5c.-6c.; their name is of unknown origin. Latin Scotia began to appear 9c. as the name for the region, replacing older Caledonia, also named for the inhabitants at the time, whose name likewise is of unknown origin.
Scotland Yard: used allusively for "London Metropolitan Police," 1864, from name of short street off Whitehall, London; from 1829 to 1890 headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Force, hence, the force itself, especially the detective branch. After 1890, located in "New Scotland Yard."
scotoma (n.): (plural scotomata), 1540s, from Late Latin scotoma, from Greek skotoma "dizziness," from skotoun "to darken," from skotos "darkness" (see shade).
Scots: see Scotch (adj.).
Scott: surname, by early 12c., from Old English Scott (see Scott); also a personal name in Old English
Scottie: type of dog, 1907, short for Scotch terrier (1810).
scoundrel (n.): 1580s, skowndrell, of unknown origin. One suggestion is Anglo-French escoundre (Old French escondre) "to hide, hide oneself," from Vulgar Latin *excondere, from Latin condere "to hide" (see abscond), The main objection to this theory is that hundreds of years lie between the two words.
scour (v.1): "cleanse by rubbing," c.1300, from Middle Dutch scuren "to polish, clean," and from Old French escurer, both from Late Latin excurare "clean off," literally "take good care of," from Latin ex- "out" + curare "care for" (see cure). Possibly originally a technical term among Flemish workmen in England. Related: Scoured; scouring.
scour (v.2): "move quickly in search of something," c.1300, probably from Old Norse skyra "rush in," related to skur "storm, shower." Perhaps infl. by or blended with Old French escorre "to run out," from Latin excurrere (see excursion). Sense development probably infl. by scour (v.1).
scourge (n.): early 13c., from Anglo-French escorge, back-formation from Old French escorgier "to whip," from Vulgar Latin *excorrigiare, from Latin ex- "out, off" + corrigia "thong, shoelace," in this case "whip," probably from a Gaulish word related to Old Irish cuimrech "fetter." Scourge of God, title given by later generations to Attila the Hun (406-453 C.E.), is attested from late 14c., from Latin flagellum Dei.
scourge (v.): c.1300, "to whip," from Old French escorgiier and from scourge (n.). Meaning "to afflict" (often for the sake of punishment or purification) is from late 14c. Related: Scourged; scourging.
scouse (n.): 1840, short for lobscouse "a sailor's stew made of meat, vegetables, and hardtack," of uncertain origin (cf. loblolly); transferred sense of "native or inhabitant of Liverpool" is recorded from 1945. In reference to the regional dialect, from 1963.
scout (v1.): c.1300, from Old French escouter "to listen, heed" (Modern French écouter), from Latin auscultare "to listen to, give heed to." Related: Scouted; scouting. Noun meaning "person who scouts" first attested 1550s. Boy Scout is from 1908.
scout (v2.): "to reject with scorn," c.1600, of Scandinavian origin (cf. Old Norse skuta, skute "taunt"), probably from a source related to shout.
scow (n.): "large flat-bottomed boat," 1780, from Dutch schouw "a ferry boat, punt," from Middle Dutch scouwe, related to Old English scaldan, Old Saxon scaldan "to push (a boat) from shore."
scowl (v.): mid-14c., from a Scandinavian source (cf. Norwegian skule "look furtively, squint, look embarrassed," Danish skule "to scowl"). Probably related to Old English sceolh "wry, oblique," Old High German scelah "curved," German scheel "squint-eyed;" from PIE root *sqel- "crooked, curved, bent." Related: Scowled; scowling. The noun is attested from c.1500.
scrabble (v.): 1530s, "to scrawl, scribble," from Dutch schrabbelen, frequentative of schrabben "to scratch," from the same root as scrape (v.). Meaning "to struggle, scramble" first recorded 1630s. Related: Scrabbled; scrabbling.
Scrabble (n.): board game, 1949, proprietary name (registered U.S.), probably from scribble-scrabble "hasty writing" (1580s), a reduplication of scribble.
scrag (n.): 1540s, "lean person or animal, a raw-bones;" perhaps from a Scandinavian source (cf. Norwegian skragg "a lean person," dialectal Swedish skragge "old and torn thing," Danish skrog "hull, carcass"); perhaps related to shrink.
scraggly (adj.): 1869, from scrag; also cf. scraggy.