Definition of scout

The word "scout" originated in the late 1800s and is believed to have been adopted from the French word "écoute," which means "listen" or "heed." In 1857, during the Franco-German War, a group of boys in Roquelaure, France were recruited as spies and messengers to gather intelligence on behalf of the French army. They were called "écouteurs," which means "listeners" or "heeders." When Lord Baden-Powell, a British Army officer, was invited to advance the methods of instruction and physical training for the Boy's Brigade in London in 1899, he incorporated the idea of the "écouteur" into his scouting program. Baden-Powell called his program "Boy Scouts," given that they were an additional branch of a girls' organization, later expanded to include girls in its own right. The name "scout" was chosen to reflect the observation and listening abilities required in Baden-Powell's original version of scouting. In summary, the word "scout" originated from the French word "écoute," which was derived from the Italian verb "asciutare," meaning "to listen" or "to hear attentively." It was incorporated into Baden-Powell's scouting program, and the name "scout" has been used to denote members of scouting organizations worldwide.