schout

n.

WA schoute

'shout'

(Modern English shout)

Etymology

This n. first appears in the late 14c., around the same time as schowted (v.), and is most plausibly connected to the OIcel n. skúta 'a taunt' (which occurs only in NGmc, and is probably ult. related to the root of the common PGmc *skeutan- 'to shoot'). The difficulty with this theory is in explaining the preponderance of spellings representing /ʃ/, which would have had to be substituted for /sk/. As Bj. notes of the verb, however, it may be 'a doublet form' to the more securely Norse-derived MnE v. scout 'to mock, reject with scorn' (OED also compares the OIcel compound skútyrði 'taunts, reproaches'). Similarly, with the n., MED compares further scǒut(e (n.1) 'wretch, rascal, rogue' (OED's scout n.2) and the hapax adj. scuter 'derisive, taunting' in c1230 Ancr. (Corp-C 402). While the phoentic evidence is inconclusive, the late appearance of both the v. and n. in English might be another point against postulating a native etymon.

PGmc Ancestor

*skūt-

Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)

skúta 'a taunt'
(ONP skúta (2) (sb.))

Other Scandinavian Reflexes

OE Cognate

Phonological and morphological markers

Summary category

B1

Attestation

Both the v. and n. are first attested from the Gaw MS and MED's citations include a high proportion of N texts, but also more widespread occurrences, incl. Chaucer and Lydgate.

Occurrences in the Gersum Corpus

Cl 840; WA 4730

Bibliography

MED shǒut(e (n.1) , MED scǒut(e (n.1) , MED scūter (adj.) , OED shout (n.2) , HTOED , OED scout (n.2) , Bj. 134; see further schowted (v.).