English
harum-scarum
Harum-scarum may come from English hare ‘harass, harry’.
- English1500–presenthare‘harass, harry’uncertain
- Englishtodayharum-scarum
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- English1500–presenthare‘harass, harry’uncertain
- Englishtodayharum-scarum
The story
Likely from hare (‘harass, harry’) 'em (‘them’) and scare 'em (‘frighten them’); alternately the first element may be from hare (‘rabbit-like animals’), or the second element may be a variant of stare. Attested from the late 17th century.
Every English word from English hare
Today it means
adj wild, careless, irresponsible
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / English hare / harum-scarum