scram

Meanings

Verb

• To leave in a hurry; to go away.
• To shut down (a nuclear reactor or, by extension, some other thing) for safety reasons, usually because of an emergency.
• Of a nuclear reactor or some other thing: to shut down, usually because of an emergency.
• To scratch (something) with claws or fingernails; to claw.
• To mine for ore on a small scale, especially from mines previously been worked on where most of the ore is believed to have been removed.
• Of one's body or limbs: to become numb or stiff due to cold, lack of movement, etc.
• To be weakened by an accident, a disease, starvation, etc.

Noun

• A shutdown of a nuclear reactor (or, by extension, some other thing), often done rapidly due to an emergency.
• The device used to shut down a nuclear reactor; also, the button or switch used to initiate a shutdown.
• A scratch, especially caused by claws or fingernails.
• A mine previously worked on where most of the ore is believed to have been removed, but which is still being mined on a small scale.

Origin

• Probably either:
• a by apocope; or
• from dialectal German schramm, the imperative singular form of schrammen, from Late Middle High German schramm, schramme; further etymology unknown.
• Unknown; the verb is possibly derived from etymology 1. It has been suggested that the word is an acronym for phrases like “safety control rod actuator mechanism”, “safety control rod axe man”, and “safety control rods activation mechanism”, but these are most likely backronyms.
• The noun is probably derived from the verb.
• The verb is a variant of dialectal English scramb, possibly related to Dutch schrammen and German schrammen; see etymology 1.
• The noun is derived from the verb.
• Unknown.