noun

scurf

SKURF/skɜrf/

Small flakes shed from the skin, especially the scalp.

Fine scurf from his scalp collects on his dark shirt.

Close-up of dry skin flakes lifting from a man's scalp along his hairline, with a few shed flakes resting on his dark shirt shoulder.

Etymology

scurfOld Englishflaky matter on the skin

Old English scurf already meant flaky matter on the skin. A variant also underlies scruffy, whose meaning broadened from “covered with scurf” to generally rough and dirty.

More examples

She gently brushes the scurf out of her hair.
Small patches of scurf cling to his dry elbows.
The doctor examines the skin beneath the scurf.

Forms

scurfy adjective — Covered with small flakes of skin.

Similar words

dandruff: Specifically scalp flakes; scurf can occur elsewhere on the skin.
flakes: A broader term for thin pieces shed from any material.