1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Scroll

SCROLL, a strip or roll of paper, parchment, &c. The word in Mid. Eng. was scrow, and came from Fr. escrou, modern écrou; the French form is preserved in the legal term “escrow” (see Deed); the French diminutive escronel gave the English form “scroll.” The Fr. escrou is of Teutonic origin and is connected with “shred,” “shard” and "sherd”; and meant a “ shred” of paper. The term is sometimes given in architecture to the volute of the Ionic capital, to the termination of the handrail of a staircase, and also to the wave-like decorations of Roman red glazed pottery, and more particularly in Samian ware.