Scot
UK[skɒt]US[skɑːt]
n
A payment or contribution.
Etymology
The word 'scot' entered English from Old Norse 'skot', meaning a contribution or shot. It is related to the Old English 'sceot', also meaning a shot or payment, and both derive from the Proto-Germanic 'skutan', meaning to shoot. The semantic connection lies in the idea of "shooting" or "throwing" one's share into a common fund. Over time, its meaning narrowed specifically to a tax or levied payment, famously preserved in the phrase "scot-free," meaning free from payment or penalty.
Analysis
This word is a simplex loanword from Old Norse. It does not contain separable morphemes in modern English.
Examples
In medieval times, every villager was liable to pay a scot to the lord.
He got off scot-free because the evidence was insufficient.
The scot for the communal feast was collected at the town hall.