scissors

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   A tool for cutting paper, cloth, and other thin materials, made of two blades joined at a pivot.

   She used a pair of scissors to cut out the picture.

2. 2
   verb

   To cut something using scissors.

   He carefully scissored the coupon out of the newspaper.

Appears in

Simplified etymology

Scissors comes from Old French cisoires, from late Latin cisoria, the plural of cisorium, “cutting instrument.” The element cis- is a variant of caes-, from Latin caedere, “to cut”; the spelling with sc- arose through association with Latin sciss-, from a verb also meaning “to cut.”

From Middle English sisours (attested since 1350–1400), from Old French cisoirs, from Late Latin cīsōria, plural of cīsōrium (“cutting tool”); from Latin word root -cīsus (compare excise) or caesus, past participle of caedō (“to cut”). Partially displaced native Old English sċēara (“scissors, shears”), whence shears. Doublet of chisel. The current spelling, from the 16th century, is due to association with Medieval Latin scissor (“tailor”), from Latin carrying the meaning “carver, cutter”, from scindō (“to split”).

Topics

External links

• Google Images
• Cambridge Dictionary
• Wiktionary