Scalp

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /skælp/

Definitions

1. The skin that covers the top and sides of the head ; to take off this skin from a person or animal, often by force ; to obtain a significant prize or win by defeating an adversary
2. The hairy skin on the crown of the head ; to strip this layer away, usually violently ; to achieve a notable success or conquest over a competitor
3. The layer of flesh and hair protecting the skull ; to remove this protective covering from an individual or creature ; to claim a hard-won reward or triumph from an enemy

Etymology: The scalp is a word that began in the north of England, and its roots point toward the Scandinavian languages. Middle English speakers used "scalp" for the crown of the head or the skull, a sense that still survives in the phrase "top of the head." Its closest relatives suggest a shell or husk: Old Norse "skálpr" meant a sheath or scabbard, Dutch "schelp" means a shell, and a Frisian cousin, "Skolp," meant dandruff, the flaky layer that lifts off the skin like a shell. The link between a sheath and the skin of the head is not fully explained, and scholars are not certain how the sense developed. What the evidence does show is a cluster of words all describing a hard outer covering, which is probably the core idea behind the English term. The verb, meaning to cut off the top of someone's head, grew from the noun. Its violent sense comes from the practice of taking the scalp as a trophy, a meaning that the word's Germanic relatives do not share.

Synonyms: crown, head, pelt