# scarify

> English word · Verb · IPA /ˈskæ.ɹɪˌfaɪ/

## Definitions
1. To remove thatch (build-up of organic matter on the soil) from a lawn, to dethatch.
2. To make scratches or cuts on.
3. To make scratches or cuts on.
4. To make scratches or cuts on.
5. To make scratches or cuts on.
6. To harrow the feelings.
7. To scar.
8. Denude, or lay waste to.

## Etymology
From French scarifier, from Late Latin scarificāre, from Latin scarifāre (“to scarify”), from Ancient Greek σκαριφᾶσθαι (skariphâsthai, “scratch”), from σκάριφος (skáriphos, “writing, drawing, sketching”). Unrelated to scar.

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