English
scamp
Scamp comes from Middle Dutch schampen ‘slip away’, from Vulgar Latin *excappare ‘to escape’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kap- ‘head’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kap-1‘head’uncertain
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*káput2‘head’uncertain
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kaput2‘head’uncertain
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcaput3‘head’uncertain
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcappa4‘cape, cloak’
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*excappare5as *excampāre‘to escape’reconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400escamper5‘to run away, to make one's escape’
- Middle Dutchc. 1150–1500schampen5‘slip away’
- Englishearliest quotation 1886scamp5
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *káput
- 2 Wiktionary, Latin caput
- 3 Wiktionary, Latin cappa
- 4 Wiktionary, Latin excappare
- 5 Wiktionary, English scamp
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, Folk and Fairy Tales: “"He is a scamp, he is and it isn't…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kap-Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *káput‘head’uncertain
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*káputWiktionary, Latin caput‘head’uncertain
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kaputWiktionary, Latin caput‘head’uncertain
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcaputWiktionary, Latin cappa‘head’uncertain
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcappaWiktionary, Latin excappare‘cape, cloak’
- Vulgar Latinc. 100–700 CE*excappareWiktionary, English scampas *excampāre‘to escape’reconstructed
- Old Frenchc. 842–1400escamperWiktionary, English scamp‘to run away, to make one's escape’
- Middle Dutchc. 1150–1500schampenWiktionary, English scamp‘slip away’
- Englishearliest quotation 1886scampWiktionary, English scamp. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, Folk and Fairy Tales: “"He is a scamp, he is and it isn't…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *kap- ‘head’
had, case, except, heavy, accept, receive, behavior, cash, achieve, catch, heavily, capacity, chase, capable, cable, recipe, reception, occupation, capture, perception, haven, behave, recipient, hawk, anticipation, anticipate, deception, chassis, susceptible, caption, captive, capsule, conceive, deceive, captivity, deceptive, cater, deceit, cassette, conceivable, 134 more
through Proto-Indo-European *káput ‘head’
through Proto-Italic *kaput ‘head’
capitalism, capitalize, capitan, capote, capitaine, 61 more
through Latin caput ‘head’
capital, chapter, captain, chef, cattle, capitol, precipitation, capita, mischief, cad, mischievous, chieftain, precipitate, capillary, occipital, precipitous, chattel, capo, caddie, capitulate, chabot, jefe, dishevelled, cabochon, caput, 68 more
through Latin cappa ‘cape, cloak’
cope, chapel, cape, cabin, chaplain, cabana, capa, capuchin, kaput, chaperon, 19 more
through Vulgar Latin *excappare ‘to escape’
Today it means
noun A rascal, swindler, or rogue; a ne'er-do-well.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “scamp”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Indo-European *káput, Latin caput, Latin cappa, Latin excappare. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *kap- / scamp