Home US English scalp

Definition of scalp in English:

scalp

Pronunciation /skalp/ /skælp/

Translate scalp into Spanish

noun

  • 1The skin covering the head, excluding the face.

    • ‘hair tonics will improve the condition of your hair and scalp’
    1. 1.1historical The scalp with the hair belonging to it, cut or torn away from an enemy's head as a battle trophy (a practice associated with some North American Indian peoples).

  • 2Scottish A bare rock projecting above surrounding water or vegetation.

transitive verb

[with object]

  • 1historical Take the scalp of (an enemy) as a battle trophy.

    • ‘none of the soldiers were scalped’
    1. 1.1informal Punish severely.
      • ‘if I ever heard anybody doing that I'd scalp them’
      penalize, discipline, mete out punishment to, bring someone to book, teach someone a lesson, make an example of

  • 2North American informal Resell (shares or tickets) at a large or quick profit.

    • ‘tickets were scalped for forty times their face value’

Origin

Middle English (denoting the skull or cranium): probably of Scandinavian origin.