scab
noun (a scab, scabs)
Everyday
- A hard, dry, dark crust that forms over a cut or graze while the skin heals underneath. tree →
- (old, insult) A worker who keeps working during a strike. tree →
In the lessons
In science and health lessons, a scab forms when blood clots and dries to seal a wound and keep germs out; new skin grows underneath and then the scab falls off by itself. In safety and hygiene, do not pick scabs — it can let germs in and leave a scar. Phrases: «pick a scab», «the scab fell off», «form a scab».
Examples
- I fell off my bike, and now there's a scab on my knee. tree →
- Don't pick your scab or it will bleed again. tree →
- The scab fell off and there was new pink skin underneath. tree →
- A scab is the body's own plaster. tree →
- Chickenpox spots turn into scabs. tree →
- Keep the scab clean and dry. tree →
- Her elbow had a big scab after the fall. tree →
- Scabs can be itchy while they heal. tree →
Note
Countable. A scab is part of healing, not dirt. If skin around a scab gets red, hot, swollen or full of pus, it may be infected — tell an adult.
In Jewish tradition
In Leviticus the priest looks at scabs and spots and decides whether the person is unclean. Isaiah uses it as a punishment: God will strike the proud women of Zion with a scab on the head.
Interpretation. The tradition understands this skin disease as a sign of a spiritual fault, such as gossip, and not as an ordinary illness. Isaiah's verse is read as a warning that pride and vanity bring humbling.
Examples
- and for a rising, and for a scab, and for a bright spot; (Torah LEV.14.56, JPS 1917) tree →
- or crook-backed, or a dwarf, or that hath his eye overspread, or is scabbed, or scurvy, or hath his stones crushed; (Torah LEV.21.20, JPS 1917) tree →
- And the priest shall look, and, behold, if the scab be spread in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is leprosy. (Torah LEV.13.8, JPS 1917) tree →
- Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will lay bare their secret parts. (Prophets ISA.3.17, JPS 1917) tree →
Note
Countable. A scab is part of healing, not dirt. If skin around a scab gets red, hot, swollen or full of pus, it may be infected — tell an adult.
On Mova
- Trees and pragmatics of «scab» in the school dictionary: every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- «scab» in the school dictionary on Mova free.
- Trees and pragmatics of «scab» in the Judaism dictionary: every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- «scab» in the Judaism dictionary on Mova free.
This page in Markdown → https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/scab/