Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Scrimshaw

Scrimshaw , transitive verb

To ornament, as shells, ivory, etc., by engraving, and (usually) rubbing pigments into the incised lines. [Sailor's cant. United States]

Scrimshaw , noun

A shell, a whale's tooth, or the like, that is scrimshawed. [Sailor's cant, United States]