skära

See also: Skara, skara, skåra, and skæra

Swedish

From Old Swedish skæra, from Old Norse skera (“to cut”), from Proto-Germanic *skeraną (“to shear”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to cut”).

skära (present skär, preterite skar, supine skurit, imperative skär)

to cut; to perform an incision
to cut; to divide something with a knife, etc.
- 1915, Dan Andersson, Kolvaktarens Visor, Gengångare:
  Men ve oss, för sent ha vi gått ur vår grav
  för att krämares domare bli -
  de män som skuro vår plågas stav
  äro döda och vandra som vi.
  But woe unto us, too late have we went out of our grave
  to become the judgers of mongers -
  the men who cut the staff of our torment
  are dead, and wander like we.
(with ner (“down”)) to cut; to make reductions in a budget or the like
(reflexive) to cut oneself; to accidentally or intentionally hurt oneself with a sharp object
(reflexive) to curdle, said of milk, a sauce, etc.
(geometry) to cut; to intersect; to cross
(archaic) to purify, to cleanse one's soul

Highly proscribed forms skärde and skärt are used colloquially along with the prescribed skar and skurit.
For cutting with scissors or shears or the like with a snipping motion, klippa is used. Using skära with scissors or shears implies one of the blades is being used like a knife.

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

skära c

skära