Why does a score mean twenty?

[Haggisdj]

I have Googled this and cannot find the answer...

[Gromit]

Try the dictionary

Origin: bef. 1100; (n.) ME; late OE scora, score (pl.; sing. *scoru) group of twenty

[jno]

'score' basically means 'cut' - related to words like scar and shear. You can still talk about scoring some wood, though it sounds a bit archaic. Anyway, it came to mean a notch in something, as a way of keeping 'score', and at some stage seems to have been specifically attached to the number 20, though nobody seems quite sure why... which isn't entirely helpful, I suppose.

[Quizmonster]

It probably relates to the practice in olden times of herdsmen being able to count up to 20 but little further. As a result, when counting large flocks/herds of animals, they would count that far and then - as J explains above - cut a notch in a tally-stick before starting again. Thus the farmer knew there were 84sheep if the shepherd had 4 notches and 4 sheep left over.

[jno]

Quizmonster's suggestion makes perfect sense: they'd count up to 20 (no doubt with the help of fingers and toes), 'score' a stick, and start again.

[allotment10]

http://www.businessballs.com/moneyslanghistory .htm#slang%20money%20meanings%20and%20origins

[Haggisdj]

Thanks for that. I did thank you all earlier but the post seems to have disappeared...

[jno]

I think that was your other post under Word Origins...