'skyscraper' originates from English, specifically the word 'sky' meaning 'heaven' and 'scraper' meaning 'to scrape or scratch'.

'skyscraper' changed from the 19th-century term used for tall masts on ships and eventually became the modern English word 'skyscraper' to describe tall buildings.

Initially, it meant 'a tall mast on a ship', but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'a very tall building'.