scrap

Etymology 1

Middle English scrappe, from Old Norse skrap, from skrapa (“to scrape, scratch”), from Proto-Germanic *skrapōną, *skrepaną (“to scrape, scratch”), from Proto-Indo-European *skreb-, *skrep- (“to engrave”)

noun

1. A (small) piece; a fragment; a detached, incomplete portion.
   I found a scrap of cloth to patch the hole.
   I have no materials — not a scrap. 1852, Thomas De Quincey, “Sir William Hamilton”, in Hogg's Instructor
   1. The smallest amount.
      I don't care a scrap.
      “I don't mind anything. I don't mind your being technically German a scrap. All I think is that it was a little—well, perhaps a little excessive to marry another German when you had done it once already. […]” 1920, Elizabeth von Arnim], In the Mountains, Garden City, New York: Doubleday, Page & Company, page 188
2. (usually in the plural) Leftover food.
   Give the scraps to the animals: any meat to the dogs, and the rest to the hogs.
3. The crisp substance that remains after drying out animal fat.
   pork scraps
4. (uncountable) Discarded objects (especially metal) that may be dismantled to recover their constituent materials, junk.
   That car isn't good for anything but scrap.
5. (UK, in the plural) A piece of deep-fried batter left over from frying fish, sometimes sold with chips.
6. (uncountable) Loose-leaf tobacco of a low grade, such as sweepings left over from handling higher grades.
7. (ethnic slur, offensive) A Hispanic criminal, especially a Mexican or one affiliated with the Sureno gang.
8. (obsolete) A snare for catching birds.

verb

1. (transitive) To discard; to get rid of.
   The party plans to scrap the military-drafted constitution, and bring the army's many business interests under the Ministry of Finance. 2023-05-29, Jonathan Head, “Pita Limjaroenrat: Thai election upstart who vows to be different”, in BBC
2. (transitive, of a project or plan) To stop working on indefinitely.
3. (intransitive) To scrapbook; to create scrapbooks.
4. (transitive) To dispose of at a scrapyard.
   Northern made much of the scrapping of the first of the Pacers (142005), and to date 35 of its Class 142s have been scrapped, with a further 11 off-lease at Gascoigne Wood. May 20 2020, John Crosse, “Soon to be gone... but never forgotten”, in Rail, page 63
5. (transitive) To make into scrap.
   Standing on the mountain above Caerphilly, one may reflect upon the gap where once stood Llanbradach Viaduct, and look near at hand upon the restored ruins of Caerphilly Castle; man labours to rebuild the mediaeval whilst he ruthlessly scraps the modern. 1939 September, D. S. Barrie, “The Railways of South Wales”, in Railway Magazine, page 165

Etymology 2

Unknown

noun

1. A fight, tussle, skirmish.
   We got in a little scrap over who should pay the bill.

verb

1. to fight