# scarification

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˌskɛɹɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/ · frequency rank #99,823

## Definitions
1. The act of scarifying: raking the ground harshly to remove weeds, etc.
2. A medieval form of penance in which the skin was damaged with a knife or hot iron.
3. The scratching, etching, burning / branding, or superficially cutting designs, pictures, or words into the skin as a permanent body modification.
4. A route of administration for some vaccinations and tests: rather than hypodermic injection, the site is inoculated intradermally not with any injection but rather only with small, shallow pricks or scratches; the needle is not hollow.

## Etymology
From Old French scarificacion, from Late Latin scarificatio. See scarify for more.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-09-03.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/scarification