Standard Lemma guide

scarification

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • /ˌskɛɹɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/
  • /ˌskaɹɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/ sometimes proscribed; by analogy with scar

1

noun

Meaning 1

The act of scarifying: raking the ground harshly to remove weeds, etc.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A medieval form of penance in which the skin was damaged with a knife or hot iron.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

The scratching, etching, burning / branding, or superficially cutting designs, pictures, or words into the skin as a permanent body modification.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 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.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: medicine, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

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

Across languages

Translations

3 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Polish: skaryfikacja — raking
  • Polish: skaryfikacja — medieval penance
  • Polish: skaryfikacja — body modification