Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To cut or clip with scissors or shears.
  • noun A cutting implement consisting of two blades joined by a swivel pin that allows the cutting edges to be opened and closed.
  • noun Any of various gymnastic exercises or jumps in which the movement of the legs suggests the opening and closing of scissors.
  • noun A scissors hold.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The singular of scissors.
  • To cut with scissors; prepare with the help of scissors.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To cut with scissors or shears; to prepare with the aid of scissors.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun rare One blade on a pair of scissors.
  • noun noun adjunct Used in certain noun phrases to denote a thing resembling the action of scissors, as scissor kick, scissor hold (wrestling), scissor jack.
  • verb To cut using, or as if using scissors.
  • verb To excise or expunge something from a text.
  • verb To move something like a pair of scissors, especially the legs.
  • verb To engage in scissoring (tribadism), a sexual act in which two women intertwine their legs and rub their vulvas against each other.
  • verb skating To skate with one foot significantly in front of the other.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb cut with or as if with scissors

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[From alteration (influenced by Latin scissor, cutter) of Middle English sisours, scissors, from Old French cisoires, from Vulgar Latin *cīsōria, from Late Latin, pl. of cīsōrium, cutting instrument, from Latin caesus, -cīsus, past participle of caedere, to cut; see kaə-id- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Altered from scissors; ultimately from Latin caedere ("to cut"); current spelling influenced by scindere ("to split").

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Examples

  • The so-called scissor lifts rented by the university were not supposed to be used in winds above 28 mph, but the weather service had issued a warning the day of Sullivan's death saying winds of 25 mph to 35 mph were expected with gusts of up to 45 mph.

    The Seattle Times 2011

  • Siggy has a small 'hatch' defect called a scissor beak.

    BellaOnline - The Voice of Women 2010

  • One operation conducted northwest of Loc Ninh was to put a "scissor" bridge in place on a small river at the border.

    Schott, Richard S. 1972

  • He further stated that it was good for the "scissor" bridge to remain in place as it gave the

    Schott, Richard S. 1972

  • As we look ahead to what may be a succession of "scissor," revolts in the future, we must also ask ourselves what it is that we have really lost in Iraq.

    The Lesson of Iraq 1969

  • As we look ahead to what may be a succession of "scissor," revolts in the future, we must also ask ourselves what it is that we have really lost in Iraq.

    The Lesson of Iraq 1958

  • Wilshere immediately apologised for his lunge on Nikola Zigic and Emmanuel Eboué has also now revealed his remorse for a two-footed 'scissor' tackle on Liam Ridgewell.

    Telegraph.co.uk - Telegraph online, Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph 2010

  • Saturday's game, Wenger had specifically described the danger of the sort of 'scissor'

    Telegraph.co.uk - Telegraph online, Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph 2010

  • The 27-year-old Ivory Coast international could have been with Wilshere in the dressing room at the weekend but his "scissor" tackle on Liam Ridgewell was not punished with a red card.

    The Independent - Frontpage RSS Feed 2010

  • The "scissor" function sounds like another term for the protease in HIV.

    reddit.com: what's new online! 2010

Comments

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  • (n): half a pair of scissors; KNIFE

    October 20, 2007