scum

[ skuhm ]

/ skʌm /

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noun

a film or layer of foul or extraneous matter that forms on the surface of a liquid.

refuse or offscourings.

a low, worthless, or evil person.

such persons collectively; riffraff; dregs.

scoria (def. 1).

verb (used with object), scummed, scum·ming.

to remove the scum from.

to remove as scum.

verb (used without object), scummed, scum·ming.

to form scum; become covered with scum.

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Origin of scum

1200–50; Middle English scume<Middle Dutch schūme (Dutch schuim) foam; cognate with German Schaum foam

OTHER WORDS FROM scum

scumless, adjectivescumlike, adjectiveun·scummed, adjective

Words nearby scum

sculptress, sculpture, sculptured, sculpturesque, Scultetus bandage, scum, scumbag, scumble, scumboard, scummy, scuncheon

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use scum in a sentence

These freshwater blooms may look like scum, foam, mats or even paint floating atop the water.
Pond scum can release a paralyzing pollutant into the air|Tracy Vonder Brink|June 7, 2021|Science News For Students
On Earth, such sediments have preserved evidence of ancient life in the form of fossilized mats of microscopic pond scum called stromatolites.
NASA rover Perseverance lands on Mars in mission to search for past life|Joel Achenbach, Sarah Kaplan, Ben Guarino|February 18, 2021|Washington Post
Intensely satisfying to use, these bad boys easily bust through even the grimiest, most built-up of messes—the soap scum on tubs, fat caked grill tops, and, of course, the toughest grout stains.
Grout scrub brushes that tackle even the toughest stains|PopSci Commerce Team|January 19, 2021|Popular-Science
Scum it off with your spoon, and lay it in anotherPage 117 dish.
The Closet of Sir Kenelm Digby Knight Opened|Kenelm Digby

The home missions class furnished the inspiration for it, and called it "Scum o' the Earth," an impromptu immigration pageant.
John Wesley, Jr.|Dan B. Brummitt
Let all this boil together a full hour, and keep it constantly skimmed, as long as any Scum will rise upon it.
The Closet of Sir Kenelm Digby Knight Opened|Kenelm Digby
Scum like you has ter come ter the mark sooner or later, and come yer have.
Indian and Scout|F. S. Brereton
On Scum exist the lowest conditions of life found in any stellar world.
Life in a Thousand Worlds|William Shuler Harris

British Dictionary definitions for scum

scum

/ (skʌm) /

noun

a layer of impure matter that forms on the surface of a liquid, often as the result of boiling or fermentation

the greenish film of algae and similar vegetation surface of a stagnant pond

Also called: dross, scruff the skin of oxides or impurities on the surface of a molten metal

waste matter

a worthless person or group of people

verb scums, scumming or scummed

(tr) to remove scum from

(intr) rare to form a layer of or become covered with scum

Derived forms of scum

scumlike, adjectivescummer, noun

Word Origin for scum

C13: of Germanic origin; related to Old High German scūm, Middle Dutch schūm, Old French escume; see skim

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

scum

Origin of scum

OTHER WORDS FROM scum

Words nearby scum

Words related to scum

How to use scum in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for scum

Derived forms of scum

Word Origin for scum