scarf
n. countablen. a piece of cloth you wear around your neck or head to stay warm or look good.
n. a length of fabric worn around the neck, shoulders, or head for warmth, fashion, or religious reasons.
I wrapped a wool scarf around my neck before going outside.
She chose a bright silk scarf to add a splash of color to her dark winter coat.
The traditional silk scarf, once a purely functional item for protection against the elements, has evolved into a versatile accessory that signals both personal style and social status.
Probably from Old Northern French escarpe (compare Old French escharpe (“pilgrim's purse suspended from the neck”), which see). The verb is derived from the noun. Doublet of scrip.
Of uncertain origin. Possibly from Old Norse skarfr, derivative of skera (“to cut”).
Generally thought to be a variant, attested since the 1950s, of scoff (“eat (quickly)”) (of which scorf is another attested variant), itself a variant of scaff. Sometimes alternatively suggested to be a dialectal survival of Old English scearfian, sceorfan (“gnaw, bite”) (compare scurf).
From Old Norse skarfr.