a scroll

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A long roll of paper or other material with writing on it, used especially in ancient times.

   Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a scroll', 'two scrolls'. Use 'the scroll' when both speaker and listener know which one.

   Patterns

   • a scroll of something
   • write on a scroll
   • unroll a scroll

   The museum displayed an ancient scroll covered in Chinese characters.

   She carefully unrolled the scroll to read the message inside.

   Scribes wrote on scrolls made from animal skin.

2. 2nouncountabletechnical

   A decorative roll shape, especially at the top of a column or on a piece of furniture.

   Grammar: Countable; often appears in the plural 'scrolls' for repeated decoration.

   Patterns

   • carved scroll
   • scroll design

   The old wooden bed had a carved scroll at the headboard.

   The architect added a stone scroll above the doorway.

3. 3nouncountable or uncountablecomputing

   The act of moving text up or down on a screen to see different parts.

   Grammar: Usually singular when talking about the action: 'a scroll down the page'. Can be countable: 'a quick scroll through the feed'.

   Patterns

   • a scroll through something
   • a quick scroll
   • scroll down

   A quick scroll through the news showed nothing interesting.

   He did a scroll down to the bottom of the document.

Word forms

Common combinations

ancient scroll

The library holds many ancient scrolls from Egypt.

unroll a scroll

He unrolled the scroll to reveal the map.

scroll down

Please scroll down to see the rest of the list.

a scroll of paper

She handed him a scroll of paper tied with ribbon.

Synonyms and how they differ

roll

A roll is a general word for something rolled up; a scroll is specifically a roll of writing material.

parchment

Parchment is the material (animal skin) used for writing; a scroll is the rolled-up document itself.

Word family

scroll verb

To move text on a screen up or down.

scrolling noun

The action of moving text on a screen.

Commonly confused: a scroll or scrawl?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “a scroll”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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