scoff

Meanings

Noun

• A derisive or mocking expression of scorn, contempt, or reproach.
• An object of scorn, mockery, or derision.
• Food.
• The act of eating.

Verb

• To jeer; to laugh with contempt and derision.
• To mock; to treat with scorn.
• To eat food quickly.
• To eat.

Origin

• From Middle English scof/skof, of Scandinavian origin. Compare Old Norse skaup, Danish skuffelse(noun)/skuffe(verb) and Old High German scoph.
• A variant, attested since the mid 19th century, of scaff, of uncertain origin. Compare scarf.