Definition of scandal

The word "scandal" originally comes from the Greek word skandalous, meaning "a stumbling block" or "a cause of offense." In ancient Greece, this term was used in a religious context to refer to the wooden crossbar that literally served as a stumbling block for the sacrificial animal as it was led to its death. As the concept of "scandal" evolved, it took on new meanings in the Christian church. In the Latin Vulgate Bible, translated by Saint Jerome around 400 AD, the Greek word skandalous was rendered as scandālum, which has the same complex etymology as the modern English word "scandal." The Latin term scandālum initially only appeared in reference to specific biblical verses, such as Matthew 13:21: "The seed sown upon the rocky soil; this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy." After this, the word started to be used as a general term to describe any offense that could lead people to stumble in their faith. In medieval times, the Latin scandālum was transformed into the French escandele, which eventually gave rise to the modern English word "scandal." During this period, the meaning of the word expanded to include secular scandals, such as political or social misbehavior, as well as religious ones. Today, "scandal" is widely used to describe any situation that causes a public outcry or leads to a loss of confidence in an individual, organization, or institution. Its etymological roots in the religious meaning of "a stumbling block" continue to be evident in our understanding of the word's meanings, from the scandalous behavior of religious figures to the role of controversies in causing people to doubt their faith.