scarify Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. verb puncture and scar (the skin), as for purposes or tribal identification or rituals
    • The men in some African tribes scarify their faces
  2. verb scratch the surface of
    • scarify seeds
  3. verb break up
    • scarify soil

WordNet

Scar"i*fy transitive verb
Etymology
F. scarifier, L. scarificare, scarifare, fr. Gr. to scratch up, fr. a pointed instrument.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Scarified ; present participle & verbal noun Scarifying
Definitions
  1. To scratch or cut the skin of; esp. (Med.), to make small incisions in, by means of a lancet or scarificator, so as to draw blood from the smaller vessels without opening a large vein.
  2. (Agric.) To stir the surface soil of, as a field.

Webster 1913