Dictionary.com

scum

[ skuhm ]
/ skʌm /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR scum ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

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. 2020

Words related to scum

froth, residue, crust, dross, spume, waste, algae, film, scruff, proletariat, vermin, riffraff, dregs, mass, rubbish, rabble, mob, trash, curs, lowest

Example sentences from the Web for scum

British Dictionary definitions for scum

scum
/ (skʌm) /

noun

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