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scalping

scalping

1 9.6
Removing the skin and hair from a person's or animal's head as a war trophy
  • noun
  • /ˈskælpɪŋ/
  • Offensive
translation icon : arrancamiento del cuero cabelludo
  • His scalp prickled as he thought of the stories he'd listened to around the brigade campfire—tales of savage Indian attacks, scalping, and torture.

Examples

  • Another officer called for "securing helpless and innocent women and children from the scalping knife." 71

    Academic text (2014)
  • The historical records describe the grisly act of scalping as a means of showing victory over enemies.

  • Roughly 90 percent of the dead showed evidence of scalping, and indications of decapitation were seen in about 25 percent of the victims.

    Academic text (1996)
  • In his response to the killing and scalping of two white families by Creek Indians in 1812, Jackson writes that he was determined.

    Academic text (1998)
  • The most sensational aspect of the story—the brutal slaying and scalping of an Indian family by two English women and a boy—is conspicuously absent in this picture.

    Academic text (1998)
  • During the brutal battles, scalping became a notorious practice among rival tribes to claim trophies from one another.

  • The museum exhibit displayed artifacts related to scalping, highlighting its significance in certain historical conflicts.

Surface Forms

scalping singular
scalping plural

Morphology

scalping = scalp (transparent) = scalp + ing

The noun is a regular event noun formed from the verb 'scalp' with '-ing', and the meaning follows directly from the base verb.

Etymology

Scalping comes from the word scalp, which is the 'skin of the head'; in history people removed a scalp as a war trophy, so scalping means the act of taking that skin off.