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coom

or coomb

[koom]
noun Chiefly Scot. and North England.
  1. soot; coal dust; smut.
  2. dust, especially sawdust or dust from a gristmill.
  3. grease from bearings, axles, etc.
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Origin of coom

First recorded in 1580–90; variant of culm1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for coom

Historical Examples

  • "Coom down," he clenched the bargain; and set about shipping the sweeps.

    The Black Bag

    Louis Joseph Vance

  • Your time'll coom soon enough by the look on yo' wi' niver no hurry.

    Bob, Son of Battle

    Alfred Ollivant

  • Postman's coom over fra' Drigg wi' a letter—will it be for wan of ye?'

  • Coom down and fill your pockets,And I'll giss you like efery dings.

  • Yo' didna know her when she coom here, an' no one else guessed at th' truth.

    "Seth"

    Frances Hodgson Burnett

British Dictionary definitions for coom

coom

coomb

noun
  1. dialect, mainly Scot and Northern English waste material, such as dust from coal, grease from axles, etc
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Word Origin

C16 (meaning: soot): probably a variant of culm 1
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012