A historical tax or payment due to the church from parishioners; a church levy or contribution.
From church + scot (from Old Norse skot, meaning 'payment' or 'tax'). The word 'scot' is the same root as in 'scot-free' (meaning 'without paying').
The phrase 'scot-free' comes from this exact history—'scot' meant a tax or payment, so 'scot-free' literally meant 'without paying the tax'; knowing this origin makes the phrase's etymology click into place perfectly.
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