score

Definition

The total number of goals, points, runs, etc. earned by a participant in a game.

Etymology

From Middle English score, skore, schore, from Old English scoru (“notch; tally; score”), from Old Norse skor, from Proto-Germanic *skurō (“incision; tear; rift”), which is related to *skeraną (“to cut”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“cut”). Cognate with Icelandic skora, Swedish skåra, Danish skår. Related to shear. For the sense “twenty”: The mark on a tally made by drovers for every twenty beasts passing through a tollgate.

Example Sentences

• "The player with the highest score is the winner."
• "The score is 8-1 even though it's not even half-time!"
• "The test scores for this class were high."