Meaning

verb puncture and scar (the skin), as for purposes or tribal identification or rituals

verb scratch the surface of

verb break up

originFrom French scarifier, from Late Latin scarificāre, from Latin scarifāre (“to scarify”), from Ancient Greek σκαριφᾶσθαι (skariphâsthai, “scratch”), from σκάριφος (skáriphos, “writing, drawing, sketching”). Unrelated to scar.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0