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An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/scheren

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An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language, S (1891)
by Friedrich Kluge, translated by John Francis Davis
scheren
Friedrich Kluge2509607An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language, S — scheren1891John Francis Davis

scheren, vb., ‘to shear, fleece, molest,’ from MidHG. schërn, OHG. scëran, ‘to shear, cut off’; comp. Du. scheren, AS. sčëran, ‘to shear, cut or hew to pieces,’ E. to shear, OIc. skera, ‘to cut, shear, slaughter.’ The prim. meaning of the root sker contained in these vbs. is ‘to cut or hew to pieces’ (comp. Lith. skírti, ‘to sever,’ skarà, ‘rag’), as is shown by the OTeut. skarda-, ‘hewn or cut to pieces,’ which originated in skṛ-tó- (see Scharte). Yet the meaning ‘to shear’ is very old; comp. the derivative Schere. The root sker (whence Sans. kšurás, ‘razor’?) appears in Gr. as ker in κείρω, ‘I shear.’