scrimshaw

1 9.9

A carved picture sailors make on whale bone or ivory

noun
/ˈskrɪmˌʃɔ/

: scrimshaw

For example, early native cultures of Alaska did not engage in decorative ivory carving until after they had contact with Western traders, who initially taught the practice of scrimshaw carving to Eskimos.
scrimshaw carving
piece of scrimshaw
scrimshaw gallery

And he goes on and he's after he's gifted them a scrimshaw.

Examples

In a booth covered with graffiti, Mitchell squints and works on his scrimshaw.

Fiction book (1993)
And my husband's collection of scrimshaw should be included.

Fiction book (1992)
He takes Mitchell's scrimshaw out of his pocket and looks at it.

Fiction book (1993)
Noticing the scrimshaw lying on the snow where it slipped from Mitchell's pocket, Corbett picks it up.

Fiction book (1993)
He's making a scrimshaw—delicately engraving, using homemade tools, on a palm-sized piece of whale bone.

Fiction book (1993)
European images of the mermaid undoubtedly traveled to Haiti during the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries, possibly on maps, on sailors' scrimshaw, and as figureheads on the prows of ships.

Academic text (1996)
The museum features a stunning display of scrimshaw carved from whalebone, showcasing intricate designs.
Sailors often created scrimshaw to pass the time while at sea, using the bones of whales and walruses.
He found a beautiful piece of scrimshaw that depicted a ship, intricately carved into a whale ivory tusk.

Surface Forms

scrimshaw singular

scrimshaws plural

Etymology

Scrimshaw probably comes from an old sailors' word like scrimshank or from scribble, both pointing to 'scratch' or 'cut' work. Sailors used to scratch small pictures on whale bone or tusks on long voyages, so scrimshaw now means those carved or engraved decorations.