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scrub²

(skrŭb)

1. Vegetation consisting chiefly of shrubs and small trees.

2. An area covered with such vegetation; shrubland.

3. A domestic animal that is feral or not purebred.

4. Slang A contemptible or incompetent person.

5. Sports A player not on the varsity or first team.

[Middle English, variant of shrub; see SHRUB¹.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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