Etymology Probably from Old Northern French escarpe (compare Old French escharpe (“pilgrim's purse suspended from the neck”), which see). The verb is derived from the noun. Doublet of scrip.
1
A long, often knitted, garment worn around the neck.
Now that she had rested and had fed from the luncheon tray Mrs. Broome had just removed, she had reverted to her normal gaiety. She looked cool in a grey tailored cotton dress with a terracotta scarf and shoes and her hair a black silk helmet.1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 2, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
Etymology Probably from Old Northern French escarpe (compare Old French escharpe (“pilgrim's purse suspended from the neck”), which see). The verb is derived from the noun. Doublet of scrip.
1
To throw on loosely; to put on like a scarf.
Vp from my Cabin, / My ſea-gowne scarft about me in the darke / Gropt I to find out them, […]c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, The Tragicall Historie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke: […] (Second Quarto), London: […] I[ames] R[oberts] for N[icholas] L[ing] […], published 1604, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii], signature N, recto:
2
To dress with a scarf, or as with a scarf; to cover with a loose wrapping.
She scarfed her head.
The back of her tan trenchcoat swished from left to right as she scarfed her head and disappeared into the dusk.1994, Arthur Johnson, “Chinese Arithmetic”, in Tony Grima, editor, Not the Only One: Lesbian and Gay Fiction for Teens, Boston, Mass.: Alyson Publications, published January 1995, →ISBN, page 144:
3
To cover as or like a scarf.
A cowl scarfed her shoulders.
She was trying to keep the silken veil scarfing her shoulders in order.1999, Isolde Martyn, chapter 12, in The Knight and the Rose, Sydney, N.S.W.: Bantam Books, →ISBN, page 125:
2 more examples
Transfixed on the smaller branches, intensely black against the moon, were organs harvested from the body cavity – heart, spleen, kidneys and liver. […] A length of slippery bowel scarfed my neck.2006, Jim Younger, chapter 21, in High John the Conqueror, London: Vintage Books, published 2007, →ISBN, section 1, page 276:
A large red ribbon scarfed her neck and seemed to have its own strange glow of the same hue.2011, Falling Rain [pseudonym], “Fire on the Sacred Land”, in Ouroboros: Road of Legend, [Bloomington, Ind.]: Xlibris, →ISBN, page 169:
scarf
noun
Etymology Of uncertain origin. Possibly from Old Norse skarfr, derivative of skera (“to cut”).
1
A type of joint in woodworking, formed by two shaped ends that fit into or onto each other.
2
A groove on one side of a sewing machine needle.
3
A dip or notch or cut made in the trunk of a tree to direct its fall when felling.
scarf
verb
Etymology Of uncertain origin. Possibly from Old Norse skarfr, derivative of skera (“to cut”).
1
To shape by grinding or oxyfuel torch cutting.
2
To form a scarf on the end or edge of, as for a joint in timber, forming a "V" groove for welding adjacent metal plates, metal rods, etc.
3
To unite, as two pieces of timber or metal, by a scarf joint.
Etymology Generally thought to be a variant, attested since the 1950s, of scoff (“eat (quickly)”) (of which scorf is another attested variant), itself a variant of scaff. Sometimes alternatively suggested to be a dialectal survival of Old English scearfian, sceorfan (“gnaw, bite”) (compare scurf).
We dug in. We ate everything there was to eat on the table. We ate like there was no tomorrow. We didn't talk. We ate. We scarfed. We grazed that table. We were into serious eating. We finished everything, including half a strawberry pie.1983, Raymond Carver, Cathedral:
1 more example
Me: scarfing my daughter’s macaroni and cheese, now chilly, over the sink while halfheartedly rinsing dishes.2015 December 11, Lara Bazelon, “Who Said ‘Game of Thrones’ Wasn’t for Kids?”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 12 Dec 2015: