scat
C1Informal, Slang, Technical
Definition
Meaning
To go away quickly or leave abruptly, often used as an imperative.
1. (noun) Animal droppings, especially from a carnivore. 2. (verb) To sing jazz using nonsense syllables in an improvisatory style. 3. (noun) A type of soil or mineral deposit.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The imperative verb sense is informal/abrupt. The noun sense for 'animal droppings' is common in wildlife contexts. The musical verb is specific to jazz history.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Both regions use all senses. The imperative 'scat!' (leave) may be slightly more archaic in the UK. The 'animal droppings' sense is equally common in both.
Connotations
The imperative 'scat!' is informal, often used humorously or with children/pets, not for serious confrontation.
Frequency
The jazz and excrement senses are moderately low-frequency technical terms. The imperative is low-frequency, situational slang.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[imperative] Scat![verb] The singer began to scat over the chord changes.[noun] The ranger identified the scat.Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Scat! (as a command)”
- “Scat singing”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Virtually never used.
Academic
Used in biology/ecology (animal droppings) and musicology (jazz technique).
Everyday
Rarely used, except humorously as 'scat!' to shoo something, or when discussing wildlife.
Technical
Specific to ecology (scat analysis for diet studies) and jazz.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- 'Scat!' she cried, waving her arms at the pigeons.
- The jazz vocalist could scat with incredible speed and dexterity.
American English
- 'Scat, cat!' he yelled from the porch.
- Ella Fitzgerald was famous for her ability to scat.
adverb
British English
- (Rare; not standard)
American English
- (Rare; not standard)
adjective
British English
- It was just a bit of scat humour, not to be taken seriously.
- The scat samples were collected for DNA analysis.
American English
- The movie had some lowbrow scat comedy in it.
- Scat analysis revealed the wolf's diet.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The cat was on the table, so I said 'Scat!' and it jumped down.
- We found some animal scat on the hiking trail.
- Scat singing requires a good sense of rhythm and melody.
- Biologists can determine an animal's health and diet by examining its scat.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
A cat leaves SCAT on the mat, so you shout 'SCAT!' for it to go away.
Conceptual Metaphor
LEAVING IS SCATTERING (from 'scatter').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with 'скат' (skate/ray fish).
- The jazz term has no direct Russian equivalent; describe as 'пение слогами без смысла'.
- The imperative 'scat!' is not as strong as 'убирайся!'; it's closer to 'брысь!'.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'scat' in formal writing.
- Confusing it with 'scatological' (related to excrement) in adjective form.
- Spelling it as 'skat'.
Practice
Quiz
In which context would you most likely use the word 'scat' as a verb?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It is informal and can be seen as childish or humorous when used as a command ('scat!'). The noun meaning 'animal droppings' is a standard, neutral term in biology.
It likely originated in early 20th-century jazz, possibly from the phrase 'scat singing,' where singers used improvised nonsense syllables. Its exact etymology is debated but may be onomatopoeic.
Generally, no, for the imperative sense. The biological sense ('animal scat') is acceptable in scientific or technical writing.
No, they are etymologically distinct. 'Scat' (leave) likely comes from 'scatter.' 'Scat' (droppings) is derived from Greek 'skōr' (genitive 'skat-os'), meaning dung.