Wordsmith.org: the magic of words


A.Word.A.Day

About | Media | Search | Contact  


Home

Today's Word

Subscribe

Archives



Nov 22, 2022
This week’s theme
Which came first, noun or verb?

This week’s words
truffle
scunner
tomcat
whinge
nitch

Send a gift that
keeps on giving,
all year long:
A gift subscription of A.Word.A.Day or the gift of books
Bookmark and Share Facebook Twitter Digg MySpace Bookmark and Share
A.Word.A.Day
with Anu Garg

scunner

PRONUNCIATION:
(SKUHN-uhr)

MEANING:
verb tr.:To disgust or sicken.
verb intr.:To feel disgust or to flinch.
noun:1. Dislike or disgust.
 2. A rascal; nuisance.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Scots scunner/skunner (to shrink back). Earliest documented use: verb: 1425, noun: 1512.

USAGE:
“The smell was so scunnering it made him want to puke up.”
Obituary: Stanley Robertson; The Economist (London, UK); Sep 5, 2009.

“Perhaps if she did not call her a scunner right off, they might be friends.”
Marti Talbott; A Time of Madness; MT Creations Corporation; 2011.

See more usage examples of scunner in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
I like not only to be loved, but to be told that I am loved; the realm of silence is large enough beyond the grave. -George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans), novelist (22 Nov 1819-1880)

We need your help

Help us continue to spread the magic of words to readers everywhere

Donate

Subscriber Services
Awards | Stats | Links | Privacy Policy
Contribute | Advertise

© 1994-2024 Wordsmith