scroll

[skrohl] /skroʊl/
noun
1.
a roll of parchment, paper, copper, or other material, especially one with writing on it:
a scroll containing the entire Old Testament.
2.
something, especially an ornament, resembling a partly unrolled sheet of paper or having a spiral or coiled form.
3.
a list, roll, roster, or schedule.
4.
(in Japanese and Chinese art) a painting or text on silk or paper that is either displayed on a wall (hanging scroll) or held by the viewer (hand scroll) and is rolled up when not in use.
Compare kakemono, makimono.
5.
the curved head of a violin or other bowed instrument.
6.
a note, message, or other piece of writing.
verb (used with object)
7.
to cut into a curved form with a narrow-bladed saw.
8.
Computers. to move (text) up, down, or across a display screen, with new text appearing on the screen as old text disappears.
verb (used without object)
9.
Computers. to move text vertically or horizontally on a display screen in searching for a particular section, line, etc.
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English scrowle; blend of scrow, aphetic variant of escrow and rowle roll
Related forms
scroll-like, adjective
Examples from the web for scrolling
  • scrolling up and down looking for a question is a bit too much of a cognitive task when there's a committee on the phone.
  • Collapsible or expandable categories for easy scrolling.
  • It makes tasks such as scrolling and typing feel more tactile.
  • If there's a problem with the tablet, its the less-than-stellar performance when scrolling in apps and playing games.
  • scrolling text can be an effective means of ending or beginning a presentation.
  • Video is smoother than a freshly oiled veal cutlet, while scrolling through the music library is a breeze.
  • scrolling downward on the page was fairly smooth, with only minimal clipping.
  • Too bad the database is hidden behind a clunky scrolling interface.
  • Swiping upward or downward with momentum enables scrolling in a browser.
  • So you suffer through the slowly scrolling program guide.
British Dictionary definitions for scrolling

scroll

/skrəʊl/
noun
1.
a roll of parchment, paper, etc, usually inscribed with writing
2.
an ancient book in the form of a roll of parchment, papyrus, etc
3.
  1. a decorative carving or moulding resembling a scroll
  2. (as modifier): a scroll saw
  3. (in combination): scrollwork
verb
4.
(transitive) to saw into scrolls
5.
to roll up like a scroll
6.
(computing) to move (text) from right to left or up and down on a screen in order to view text that cannot be contained within a single display image
Word Origin
C15 scrowle, from scrowe, from Old French escroe scrap of parchment, but also influenced by roll
Word Origin and History for scrolling

scroll

n.

c.1400, "roll of parchment or paper," altered (by association with rolle "roll") from scrowe (c.1200), from Anglo-French escrowe, Old French escroe "scrap, roll of parchment," from Frankish *skroda "shred" or a similar Germanic source, from Proto-Germanic *skrauth- (cf. Old English screada "piece cut off, cutting, scrap;" see shred (n.)). As an ornament on furniture or in architecture, from 1610s.

v.

"to write down in a scroll," c.1600, from scroll (n.). Sense of "show a few lines at a time" (on a computer or TV screen) first recorded 1981. Related: Scrolled; scrolling.

scrolling in Technology
chat, games
To flood a chat room or Internet game with text or macros in an attempt to annoy the occupants. This can often cause the chat room to be "uninhabitable" due to the "noise" created by the scroller. Compare spam.
(2001-03-27)