scar ‧ i ‧ fy /ˈskeərəfaɪ, ˈskeərɪfaɪ, ˈskærəfaɪ $ ˈsker-, ˈskær-/ BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle scarified , present participle scarifying , third person singular scarifies ) [transitive]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: French ; Origin: scarifier , from Latin scarifare , from Greek skariphasthai 'to draw a line on a surface' ]
1 . to break and make loose the surface of a road or field using a pointed tool
2 . formal to criticize someone very severely