English Reference

Word

scissor

Phoneticsscis·sor

US/ˈsɪzɝ/

UK/sˈɪsɐ/

Definition

v. to cut something with a pair of scissors. This is an old-fashioned way to say it, so you will not hear this in modern conversation.

v. to cut with a pair of scissors. Archaic in modern usage; typically replaced by 'cut' or 'snip'.

Examples

“She scissor the paper into small pieces.”

“The tailor used a sharp pair of scissors to scissor the excess fabric from the hem.”

“In the old manuscript, the scribe scissor the parchment with such precision that the edges remain perfectly aligned after centuries of handling.”

Examples

simple

“She scissor the paper into small pieces.”

contextual

“The tailor used a sharp pair of scissors to scissor the excess fabric from the hem.”

complex

“In the old manuscript, the scribe scissor the parchment with such precision that the edges remain perfectly aligned after centuries of handling.”

Real-World Examples

“Instead of simply asking people whether they consider themselves left-handed, we observed which hand they actually use for a range of everyday activities: writing , using scissors, brushing their teeth or throwing a ball.”
Phys.org · 25 Aug 2026
“Her oldest son busted a hole in the ceiling, cutting the trailer’s tin roof back with scissors.”
The Conversation · 18 Aug 2026

Etymology

From Middle English cysour, cysoure, cysowre, altered from sisours (“scissors”), from Old French cisoires, cisours, cisur, from Latin caedere (“to cut”); current spelling influenced by Latin scindere, scissus (“to split”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry

Level
C2 · Proficiency
Frequency
Occasional
Updated

Scan code

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English Reference