gained points in a game or competition, or marked with lines or grooves.
From Old Norse 'skor' meaning a notch or tally mark. Vikings would cut notches in sticks to keep score. The word evolved to mean recording points and eventually any achievement of success.
In the Middle Ages, people literally cut notches (scores) in tally sticks to keep track of debts and accounts—that's why we still 'keep score' today! The same root word gave us 'scorch' because you'd mark leather by burning lines into it.
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