"to push or fight in a disorderly manner, struggle confusedly at close quarters," 1570s (transitive), 1580s (intransitive), probably a frequentative form of scuff (v.), but OED is against this; perhaps ultimately of Scandinavian origin. Related: Scuffled; scuffling. As a noun, "a confused pushing or struggle," c. 1600, from the verb.

"lacking or having lost the original finish and freshness," hence "shabby-looking," 1858; see scuff (v.) + -y (2). Past-participle adjective scuffed in the sense of "worn, shabby" is by 1819. Related: Scuffiness.

kind of short, light, spoon-bladed oar, mid-14c., skulle, a word of unknown origin. The verb, "to propel with one oar worked from the stern," is by 1620s, from the noun. Related: Sculled; sculling.

mid-15c., sculerie (early 14c. as a surname), "department in a great house concerned with plates, dishes, kitchen utensils, etc.," from Old French escuelerie "office of the servant in charge of plates, etc.; place where dishes are kept," from escuelier "keeper of the dishes," from escuele "dish" (12c., Modern French écuelle), from Latin scutella "salver," in Medieval Latin, "a serving platter, plate" (see scuttle (n.)).

"low-ranking domestic servant who performs menial kitchen tasks," late 15c., sculioun, scwlioun, perhaps, with substitution of suffix, from Anglo-French sculier, a variant of Old French escuelier, from escouve "broom, twig," from Latin scopa (plural scopæ) "broom," related to scapus "shaft, stem" (see scape (n.2)). Or it might be an alteration of Old French souillon "scullion" (but this is not attested before 16c.), by influence of scullery. "The word is now generally associated in thought with scullery, which is, however, of different origin" [Century Dictionary].

"to cut, carve, engrave," 1826 (implied in sculpted), from French sculpter, from Latin sculpt-, past-participle stem of sculpere "to carve" (see sculpture). Related: Sculpting. The older verb form was sculpture (1640s), from the noun, also sculp (1530s), from Latin sculpere. Related: Sculptured.

1630s, "one who models in clay or wax, casts or strikes in bronze or other metal, or carves figures in stone," from Latin sculptor "one who cuts or carves," agent noun from sculpt-, past-participle stem of sculpere "to carve" (see sculpture). Formerly of broader application than in modern use. Fem. form sculptress is attested from 1660s.

"pertaining to sculpture," 1819, from sculpture + -al (1). Related: Sculpturally.

late 14c., "the art or process of sculpture, the act or art of carving or shaping figures and other objects in the round or in relief on more or less hard surfaces," from Latin sculptura "sculpture," from past participle stem of sculpere "to carve, engrave," a back-formation from compounds such as exculpere, from scalpere "to carve, cut" (from PIE root *skel- (1) "to cut"). The meaning "a work of carved art" is from 1610s.

early 14c., "froth, foam, thin layer atop liquid" (implied in scomour "scummer, shallow ladle for removing scum"), from Middle Dutch schume "foam, froth," from Proto-Germanic *skuma- (source also of Old Norse skum, Old High German scum, German Schaum "foam, froth"), which is perhaps from PIE root *(s)keu- "to cover, conceal" on the notion of "that which covers the water."

Especially (late 14c.) "impure foam or extraneous substance that rises to the surface when liquid boils." Hence any sort of impure froth, and the sense deteriorated to "film of dirt," then simply "dirt, filth." The meaning "lowest class of humanity" is from 1580s; scum of the Earth is attested by 1712. The Germanic word was adopted in Romanic (Old French escume, Modern French écume, Spanish escuma, Italian schiuma). As a verb, "remove the scum from," late 14c.