A person who records points, goals, or marks in games and competitions, or someone who achieves points in such events.
From Old Norse skor meaning 'notch' or 'tally mark,' through Middle English score. The agent suffix -er was added to denote someone who keeps score or achieves scoring, originally by cutting notches in wood or stone.
The word preserves the ancient practice of keeping count by cutting notches (scores) into wood or bone - a method used by shepherds, traders, and game-keepers for millennia. The phrase 'settle the score' still echoes this original meaning of a physical record that needed to be balanced.
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