Other forms: scooting, scooted, scoots
To scoot is to move quickly and lightly out of the way. A short dart rather than a run.
It is informal and cheerful, and it often takes over or along, so asking somebody to scoot over means asking them to shift up on a bench. It also means to leave in a hurry, as in I had better scoot. The related noun scooter covers both a child's toy and a small motorbike, both named for the way they move. Americans use scoot rather more freely than the British do.
1verbscootTo move quickly and lightly, or to shift along.
“Scoot over and let him sit down.”
Also accepted in games: dodge
Old Norse
skjóta — to shoot
English, today
scoot
Of unknown origin. Perhaps from Old Norse skjóta (“to shoot”), or perhaps related to Middle English scottlynge (“moving one's feet quickly, scampering”) literally “scuttling”, see scuddle, scuttle.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA