# scabrous

> English word · Adjective · IPA /ˈskeɪbɹəs/

## Definitions
1. Covered with scales or scabs; hence, very coarse or rough.
2. Disgusting, repellent.
3. Salacious, scandalous; concerning oneself with lurid or lascivious substance.
4. Of music, writing, etc.: lacking refinement; unmelodious, unmusical.
5. Difficult, thorny, troublesome, requiring tact.
6. Covered with a crust of dirt or grime.
7. Having scabers.

## Etymology
Borrowed from Latin scaber (“scabrous, rough; scabby, mangy, itchy”) (from scabō (“to scratch, scrape, abrade”), from Proto-Indo-European *skabʰ- (“to scratch”)) + English -ous; compare French scabreux, Late Latin scabrōsus.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/scabrous