scroll

Everyday

1. To scroll means to move the text or pictures on a screen up, down or sideways to see more. tree →
2. A scroll is a long roll of paper or parchment with writing on it, used in ancient times. tree →
3. A scroll is a decoration shaped like a curl. tree →

In the lessons

Computing and online life: scroll down a web page; endless scrolling on apps can waste time, so set limits. History and religion: ancient Egyptians wrote on papyrus scrolls; the Torah is read from a scroll. Stories: a wizard opens a magic scroll. Phrases: scroll down, scroll up, scroll through, scroll bar.

Examples

• Scroll down to see the rest of the page. tree →
• I scrolled through my photos to find the dog. tree →
• The ancient Egyptians wrote on scrolls of papyrus. tree →
• The wizard unrolled a dusty scroll. tree →
• Don't spend hours scrolling on your phone. tree →
• The Torah scroll is kept in the synagogue. tree →
• Look well at this scroll and see whether you can read it. tree →

Note

Spelled with double l. Past: scrolled. «Scroll» as a verb is modern (screens); as a noun it is ancient (rolled paper). The «scroll bar» or «scroll wheel» helps you move the page.

In Jewish tradition

In the test of a suspected wife, the priest writes the curses on a scroll and washes them into water.

Interpretation. The Torah is still written by hand on a scroll. Sefer Yetzirah plays on the root S-P-R, which means to count, to write and to tell.

Examples

• And the priest shall write these curses in a scroll, and he shall blot them out into the water of bitterness. (Torah NUM.5.23, JPS 1917) tree →
• However, only one, ספ״ר SPR, is capable of describing all three: counting (סָפַר safar 'he counted', מִסְפָּר mispar 'number, count'), writing (סֵפֶר sefer 'book, scroll'), and speaking (סִפֵּר sipper 'he told, accounted', סִפּוּר sippur 'telling, account'). (Sefer Yetzirah, Sefaria community translation) tree →
• The three occurrences of the root SPR that follow, “with ספר SPR and ספר SPR and ספור SPWR”, are here interpreted respectively as סָפַר safar ‘to count’, representing counting/mahetmatics; סֵפר sefer ‘scroll, book’, representing writing; and סִפּוּר sippur, representing speech. (Sefer Yetzirah, Sefaria community translation) tree →

Note

Spelled with double l. Past: scrolled. «Scroll» as a verb is modern (screens); as a noun it is ancient (rolled paper). The «scroll bar» or «scroll wheel» helps you move the page.