What does escot mean?
"Escot" is a now largely archaic English verb meaning to pay for something or to bear one's share of a cost, especially a shared expense such as a communal bill or local levy. A speaker might once have said they would "escot the cost" of repairs or that every member of a household must "escot" their portion of the rates. The word belongs to the same family as "scot," the old term for a tax or contribution that survives today only in the idiom "scot-free." Though it appears in older British literature and dialect dictionaries, "escot" has essentially dropped out of everyday speech; contemporary writers would say "pay," "cover," or "chip in" instead. It remains useful mainly to readers of historical texts and to anyone charmed by the vocabulary of obligation and expense.
To pay or bear the cost or share of something; to contribute one's portion of an expense.
"The landlord agreed to escot half the cost of the new roof."
Archaic or dialectal; found chiefly in older British and Scottish writing.
A payment or one's share of an expense (rare, historical).
"Each household paid its escot to the village fund."
Very rare; the plain form "scot" is the more usual historical term.
Applies only to the rare noun sense; the plural is seldom encountered outside historical texts.
"The ledger recorded the escots owed by each tenant."
If you've ever gone "scot-free," you've met this word's cousin — to escot something was the opposite fate: actually footing the bill.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of escot
"Escot" derives from Old French "escoter," formed on "escot," meaning a share or contribution, which itself traces back through Anglo-Norman to a Germanic root related to "shot" in its older sense of a payment. It entered Middle English alongside the noun "scot," meaning a tax or reckoned share, the word preserved in "scot-free." The verb was used in Scots and northern English dialect well into the modern era before falling into disuse.
Related word forms
How escot is actually used
"Escot" is now rare and chiefly literary, dialectal, or historical; modern speakers would almost always say "pay" or "cover" instead. It survives mostly in older British writing and in dictionaries of archaic usage.
Easily confused with escot
"Escort" means to accompany or guard someone (or a person who does so), while "escot" is an archaic verb meaning to pay or bear a share of an expense.
An "ascot" is a type of wide necktie or a famous racecourse; it has nothing to do with paying costs like the verb "escot".