Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1400-1500
Origin: Perhaps from Anglo-French escocher 'to make a cut in a surface'

scotch

 verb
     
scotch [transitive]
to stop something happening by firmly doing something to prevent it:
He issued an announcement to scotch rumours of his death.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

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