Back in Middle English, the term scabbard had various spellings such as scauberc, scaberke, skabrek, scabarge, skabarge, scaubert, before settling on its modern form in the eighteenth century. It originates from the Anglo-Norman word escauberc, which not only meant what it does today but also had a secondary connotation of “vagina”. This connection may have been influenced by Frankish or another Germanic language, but ultimately stems from the Proto-Germanic roots skeriz, denoting “blade”, and bergaz, signifying “protection”. The term skeriz is derived from the verb skerana (“to shear”), originating from Proto-Indo-European sker meaning “cut”, while bergaz, seen in words like harbor, belfry, barrow, berg, and harbinger, comes from Proto-Indo-European berg meaning “high”.
