Link Centre Dictionary

scarify

sca·rify

UK/ˈskæ.ɹɪˌfaɪ/ US/ˈskɑː.ɹɪˌfaɪ/ uncommon obsolete

verb

1.

puncture and scar (the skin), as for purposes or tribal identification or rituals

  • “The men in some African tribes scarify their faces”
2.

scratch the surface of

  • “scarify seeds”
3.

break up

  • “scarify soil”

Origin

From scare + -ify.

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.