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Word Study
scum
CIDE DICTIONARY
scum, n. [Of Scand. origin; cf. Dan. & Sw. skum, Icel. sk, LG. schum, D. schuim, OHG. sc, G. schaum; probably from a root meaning, to cover. Hide skin, Meerschaum, Skim, v. , Sky.].
- The extraneous matter or impurities which rise to the surface of liquids in boiling or fermentation, or which form on the surface by other means; also, the scoria of metals in a molten state; dross. [1913 Webster]"Some to remove the scum as it did rise." [1913 Webster]
- refuse; recrement; anything vile or worthless. [1913 Webster]"The great and innocent are insulted by the scum and refuse of the people." [1913 Webster]
scum, v. t.
- To take the scum from; to clear off the impure matter from the surface of; to skim. [1913 Webster]"You that scum the molten lead." [1913 Webster]
- To sweep or range over the surface of. [1913 Webster]"Wandering up and down without certain seat, they lived by scumming those seas and shores as pirates." [1913 Webster]
scum, v. i.
To form a scum; to become covered with scum. Also used figuratively. [1913 Webster]
"Life, and the interest of life, have stagnated and scummed over." [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
scum, n. & v.
--n.
1 a layer of dirt, froth, or impurities etc. forming at the top of liquid, esp. in boiling or fermentation.
2 (foll. by of) the most worthless part of something.
3 colloq. a worthless person or group.
--v. (scummed, scumming)
1 tr. remove scum from; skim.
2 tr. be or form a scum on.
3 intr. (of a liquid) develop scum.
--n.
1 a layer of dirt, froth, or impurities etc. forming at the top of liquid, esp. in boiling or fermentation.
2 (foll. by of) the most worthless part of something.
3 colloq. a worthless person or group.
--v. (scummed, scumming)
1 tr. remove scum from; skim.
2 tr. be or form a scum on.
3 intr. (of a liquid) develop scum.
Derivative
scummy adj. (scummier, scummiest) adj.
Etymology
ME f. MLG, MDu. schum, OHG scum f. Gmc
THESAURUS
scum
aerate, alluvion, alluvium, androcyte, antheridium, antherozoid, apply to, ash, beat, bilge, bilgewater, blanket, block, bones, breakers, canaille, canopy, carrion, cattle, chaff, cinder, clinker, cloak, clothe, cloud, coat, coating, collar, collop, cope, cover, cover up, covering, cowl, cream, culm, cur, curtain, cut, deadwood, deal, deposition, deposits, diluvium, dishwater, disk, ditchwater, draff, dregs, dregs of society, dross, dust, eclipse, ember, enamel, facing, feces, feuille, filings, film, flap, foam, foil, fold, froth, fur, garbage, gash, glop, grounds, gunk, head, hogwash, hood, husks, lacquer, lamella, lamina, laminated glass, laminated wood, lap, lather, lay on, lay over, leaf, leavings, lees, loess, male gamete, mantle, mask, masses, membrane, meringue, milt, mire, mob, moraine, mousse, muck, muffle, obduce, obscure, occult, offal, offscourings, offscum, ooze, orts, overlay, overspread, paint, pane, panel, parings, patina, peel, pellicle, plait, plank, plate, plating, ply, plywood, pollen, potsherds, precipitate, precipitation, prick, proletariat, protein, puff, put on, raff, rags, ragtag and bobtail, rasher, raspings, refuse, revetment, riffraff, rubbish, safety glass, scale, scoria, scourings, scrap iron, scraps, screen, scud, scurf, sea foam, sediment, seed, semen, seminal fluid, settlings, sewage, sewerage, shards, shavings, sheet, shield, shit, shithead, silt, sinter, skin, skunk, slab, slack, slag, slat, slice, slime, slob, slop, slops, slosh, slough, sludge, slush, smut, snake, soapsuds, soot, sordes, souffle, sperm, sperm cell, spermagonium, spermatic fluid, spermatid, spermatiophore, spermatium, spermatocyte, spermatogonium, spermatophore, spermatozoa, spermatozoid, spermatozoon, spindrift, splosh, spoondrift, spray, spread over, spume, stinging, stinker, stubble, sublimate, sud, suds, superimpose, superpose, surf, sweepings, swill, swinish multitude, table, tablet, tares, toad, trash, turd, unwashed, varnish, veil, veneer, vermin, wafer, wastage, waste, waste matter, wastepaper, weeds, whip, whisk, white waterROGET THESAURUS
scum
Unimportance
N unimportance, insignificance, nothingness, immateriality, triviality, levity, frivolity, paltriness, poverty, smallness, vanity, matter of indifference, no object, nothing, nothing to signify, nothing worth speaking of, nothing particular, nothing to boast of, nothing to speak of, small matter, no great matter, trifling matter, mere joke, mere nothing, hardly anything, scarcely anything, nonentity, small beer, cipher, no great shakes, peu de chose, child's play, kinderspiel, toy, plaything, popgun, paper pellet, gimcrack, gewgaw, bauble, trinket, bagatelle, Rickshaw, knickknack, whim-wham, trifle, trifles light as air, yankee notions, trumpery, trash, rubbish, stuff, fatras, frippery, leather or prunello, chaff, drug, froth bubble smoke, cobweb, weed, refuse, scum, joke, jest, snap of the fingers, fudge, fiddlestick, fiddlestick end, pack of nonsense, mere farce, straw, pin, fig, button, rush, bulrush, feather, halfpenny, farthing, brass farthing, doit, peppercorn, jot, rap, pinch of snuff, old son, cent, mill, picayune, pistareen, red cent, minutiae, details, minor details, small fry, dust in the balance, feather in the scale, drop in the ocean, flea-bite, molehill, nine days' wonder, ridiculus mus, flash in the pan, much ado about nothing, unimportant, of little account, of small account, of no account, of little importance, of no importance, immaterial, unessential, nonessential, indifferent, subordinate, mediocre, passable, fair, respectable, tolerable, commonplace, uneventful, mere, common, ordinary, inconsiderable, so-so, insignificant, inappreciable, trifling, trivial, slight, slender, light, flimsy, frothy, idle, puerile, airy, shallow, weak, powerless, frivolous, petty, niggling, piddling, peddling, fribble, inane, ridiculous, farcical, finical, finikin, fiddle-faddle, fingle-fangle, namby-pamby, wishy-washy, milk and water, poor, paltry, pitiful, contemptible, sorry, mean, meager, shabby, miserable, wretched, vile, scrubby, scrannel, weedy, niggardly, scurvy, putid, beggarly, worthless, twopennyhalfpenny, cheap, trashy, catchpenny, gimcrack, trumpery, one- horse, not worth the pains, not worth while, not worth mentioning, not worth speaking of, not worth a thought, not worth a curse, not worth a straw, beneath notice, unworthy of notice, beneath regard, unworthy of regard, beneath consideration, unworthy of consideration, de lana caprina, vain, slightly, rather, somewhat, pretty well, tolerably, for aught one cares, Int, no matter!, pish!, tush!, tut!, pshaw!, pugh!, pooh, pooh-pooh!, fudge!, bosh!, humbug!, fiddlestick, fiddlestick end!, fiddlededee!, never mind!, n'importe!, what signifies it, what boots it, what of it, what of that, what matter, what's the odds, a fig for', stuff!, nonsense!, stuff and nonsense, magno conatu magnas nugas, le jeu ne vaut pas la chandelle, it matters not, it does not signify, it is of no consequence, it is of no importance, elephantus non capit murem, tempete dans un verre d'eau.Uncleanness
N uncleanness, impurity, immundity, immundicity, impurity, defilement, contamination, defoedation, soilure, soiliness, abomination, leaven, taint, tainture, fetor, decay, putrescence, putrefaction, corruption, mold, must, mildew, dry rot, mucor, rubigo, slovenry, slovenliness, squalor, dowdy, drab, slut, malkin, slattern, sloven, slammerkin, slammock, slummock, scrub, draggle-tail, mudlark, dust-man, sweep, beast, dirt, filth, soil, slop, dust, cobweb, flue, smoke, soot, smudge, smut, grit, grime, raff, sossle, sozzle, sordes, dregs, grounds, lees, argol, sediment, settlement heeltap, dross, drossiness, mother, precipitate, scoriae, ashes, cinders, recrement, slag, scum, froth, hogwash, ditchwater, dishwater, bilgewater, rinsings, cheeseparings, sweepings, offscourings, outscourings, off scum, caput mortuum, residuum, sprue, fecula, clinker, draff, scurf, scurfiness, exuviae, morphea, fur, furfur, dandruff, tartar, riffraff, vermin, louse, flea, bug, chinch, mud, mire, quagmire, alluvium, silt, sludge, slime, slush, slosh, sposh, spawn, offal, gurry, lientery, garbage, carrion, excreta, slough, peccant humor, pus, matter, suppuration, lienteria, faeces, feces, excrement, ordure, dung, crap, shit, sewage, sewerage, muck, coprolite, guano, manure, compost, dunghill, colluvies, mixen, midden, bog, laystall, sink, privy, jakes, toilet, john, head, cess, cesspool, sump, sough, cloaca, latrines, drain, sewer, common sewer, Cloacina, dust hole, sty, pigsty, lair, den, Augean stable, sink of corruption, slum, rookery, dirty, filthy, grimy, unclean, impure, soiled, not to be handled with kid gloves, dusty, snuffy, smutty, sooty, smoky, thick, turbid, dreggy, slimy, mussy, slovenly, untidy, messy, uncleanly, unkempt, sluttish, dowdy, draggle-tailed, uncombed, unscoured, unswept, unwiped, unwashed, unstrained, unpurified, squalid, lutose, slammocky, slummocky, sozzly, nasty, coarse, foul, offensive, abominable, beastly, reeky, reechy, fetid, decayed, moldy, musty, mildewed, rusty, moth-eaten, mucid, rancid, weak, bad, gone bad, etercoral, lentiginous, touched, fusty, effete, reasty, rotten, corrupt, tainted, high, flyblown, maggoty, putrid, putrefactive, putrescent, putrefied, saprogenic, saprogenous, purulent, carious, peccant, fecal, feculent, stercoraceous, excrementitious, scurfy, scurvy, impetiginous, gory, bloody, rotting, rotten as a pear, rotten as cheese, crapulous, gross, fimetarious, fimicolous, they that touch pitch will be defiled.Also see definition of "scum" in Bible Study Dictionaries
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