Scall

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An archaic term for a scabby, scurfy skin disease that affects the scalp or other hairy parts of the body
2. A crusty, scaly eruption on the skin, particularly the scalp, that was once named as a distinct ailment
3. Historically, a scabby condition of the head marked by scurf and itching, used as a general name for such scalp disorders

Etymology: Scall is a noun for a scabby or scurfy skin disease, especially of the scalp, and its history is tangled because two Old Norse words seem to have merged in English. The first candidate is Old Norse "skalli", meaning a bald head or skull, which may have given Middle English "scalle" its meaning of a scalp condition, since baldness and scalp scaling sit close together. The second candidate is a group of Scandinavian words for scurf or rash, such as Old Norse "*skolð" and Swedish "skål", which is the source of the English "scald" that also names a scalding skin injury. Scholars do not agree which of these lies behind the English word. Finnish "kallo", meaning skull, is sometimes cited alongside the Norse forms, but it is a separate word and does not settle the question.

Synonyms: scab, scurf