## Etymology
From an obsolete verb scamp ('to roam, decamp'), probably from Old North French escamper ('to flee, decamp'), from Latin ex- ('out') + campus ('field, battlefield').

## AI Etymology
Scamp comes from an obsolete verb scamp ('to roam, decamp'), probably from Old North French escamper ('to flee, decamp'), from Latin ex- ('out') + campus ('field, battlefield'). The historical chain includes Latin excampare and Latin campus. Older glosses in the chain include "to roam, decamp", "to flee, decamp", "out", and "field, battlefield", which help explain the semantic range of the modern word. Morphologically, scamp is best read as compound and borrowing, yielding an English noun and verb shaped by both form history and later usage. In current English it functions as a noun and verb, with the sense "a mischievous rascal, often used affectionately of a child". English derivatives include scampish; related forms include scamper. The result is an English noun and verb whose etymology preserves the older forms while supporting the word's specialized modern meaning.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

markdown

scamp

Meanings

Thesaurus

Etymology

Topics

External links

Keyboard Shortcuts

General

Send feedback