to scutch
- verb
- Archaic
- Workers spent the afternoon scutching flax to prepare it for spinning into linen.
Examples
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After harvesting, the next step is to scutch the hemp to separate the fibers from the stalks.
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Farmers scutch flax to prepare it for spinning.
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Traditional methods of scutching cotton are still used in some rural communities.
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The artisans scutched the fibers carefully.
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Workers spent the afternoon scutching flax to prepare it for spinning into linen.
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After harvesting, the next step is to scutch the hemp to separate the fibers from the stalks.
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Farmers scutch flax to remove the woody parts before spinning it into thread.
Synonyms
To comb flax or hemp to separate the long fibers for spinning
To comb plant fibers like flax or hemp to make them straight and clean
Compounds
How Thorough
Surface Forms
Etymology
A helpful way to remember the verb scutch is to think of old words for 'to strike' or 'to scrape', because to scutch is to beat or scrape fibers to remove the woody parts. So, the origin matches the action: scutching is literally 'beating away' what you do not want.