Revised 2017 More entries for screw
screwnoun1
Factsheet
What does the noun screw mean?
There are 36 meanings listed in OED's entry for the noun screw, seven of which are labelled obsolete. See ‘Meaning & use’ for definitions, usage, and quotation evidence.
screw has developed meanings and uses in subjects including
gunnery and firearms (mid 1500s) mechanics (late 1500s) building (late 1500s) jewellery (early 1600s) geology (mid 1600s) university (1810s) animals (1820s) horses and riding (1820s) billiards, pool, and snooker (1820s) nautical (1830s) cricket (1840s) economics and commerce (1850s) games (1860s) football (1860s) tennis (1860s)
How common is the noun screw?
About 7occurrences per million words in modern written English
| 1750 | 3.0 |
| 1760 | 2.8 |
| 1770 | 3.2 |
| 1780 | 2.6 |
| 1790 | 2.8 |
| 1800 | 3.1 |
| 1810 | 3.6 |
| 1820 | 4.3 |
| 1830 | 5.0 |
| 1840 | 6.4 |
| 1850 | 7.9 |
| 1860 | 9.7 |
| 1870 | 11 |
| 1880 | 11 |
| 1890 | 11 |
| 1900 | 12 |
| 1910 | 12 |
| 1920 | 10 |
| 1930 | 9.8 |
| 1940 | 9.5 |
| 1950 | 9.1 |
| 1960 | 7.2 |
| 1970 | 6.5 |
| 1980 | 6.6 |
| 1990 | 6.6 |
| 2000 | 6.5 |
| 2010 | 6.5 |
How is the noun screw pronounced?
British English
/skruː/
skroo
U.S. English
/skru/
skroo
Where does the noun screw come from?
Earliest known use
Middle English
The earliest known use of the noun screw is in the Middle English period (1150—1500).
OED's earliest evidence for screw is from 1404.
screw is probably a borrowing from French.
Etymons: French escroe, escroue.
Nearby entries
- screeve, v.¹?1440–
- screeve, v.²c1450–1887
- screeve, v.³1799–
- screeve, v.⁴1841–
- screeved, adj.1896–
- screever, n.1841–
- screeving, n.¹a1400
- screeving, n.²1841–
- screpe, v.Old English–1250
- screte, adj.c1440
- screw, n.¹1404–
- screw, n.²1684–
- screw, v.?1597–
- screwable, adj.1844–
- screwage, n.1865
- screw alley, n.1853–
- screw arbor, n.1777–
- screw area, n.1868–
- screw auger, n.1676–
- screw axis, n.1843–
- screw back, n.1869–
Etymology
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Meaning & use
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Pronunciation
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Forms
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Frequency
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Compounds & derived words
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Entry history for screw, n.¹
screw, n.¹ was revised in June 2017.
screw, n.¹ was last modified in December 2024.
oed.com is a living text, updated every three months. Modifications may include:
- further revisions to definitions, pronunciation, etymology, headwords, variant spellings, quotations, and dates;
- new senses, phrases, and quotations.
Revisions and additions of this kind were last incorporated into screw, n.¹ in December 2024.
Earlier versions of this entry were published in:
OED First Edition (1911)
OED Second Edition (1989)
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Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “,” , .
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Citation details
Factsheet for screw, n.¹
Browse entry
Nearby entries
- screeve, v.¹?1440–
- screeve, v.²c1450–1887
- screeve, v.³1799–
- screeve, v.⁴1841–
- screeved, adj.1896–
- screever, n.1841–
- screeving, n.¹a1400
- screeving, n.²1841–
- screpe, v.Old English–1250
- screte, adj.c1440
- screw, n.¹1404–
- screw, n.²1684–
- screw, v.?1597–
- screwable, adj.1844–
- screwage, n.1865
- screw alley, n.1853–
- screw arbor, n.1777–
- screw area, n.1868–
- screw auger, n.1676–
- screw axis, n.1843–
- screw back, n.1869–
