scab: Meaning and Definition of

scab

Pronunciation: (skab), [key]
— n., v., scabbed, scab•bing.
—n.
  1. the incrustation that forms over a sore or wound during healing.
  2. a mangy disease in animals, esp. sheep; scabies. Cf.(def. 10).
    1. a disease of plants characterized by crustlike lesions on the affected parts and caused by a fungus or bacterium.
    2. one of these crustlike lesions.
  3. a worker who refuses to join a labor union or to participate in a union strike, who takes a striking worker's place on the job, or the like.
  4. a rascal or scoundrel.
    1. a projection or roughness on an ingot or casting from a defective mold.
    2. a surface defect on an iron or steel piece resulting from the rolling in of scale.
  5. a short, flat piece of wood used for various purposes, as binding two timbers butted together or strengthening a timber at a weak spot.
—v.i.
  1. to become covered with a scab.
  2. to act or work as a scab.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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