FromMiddle English scum scome skum skome scumme Middle Low German Middle Dutch schūme ( “ foam ” ) , fromOld Dutch *scūm Frankish *skūm Proto-Germanic *skūmaz ( “ froth, foam ” ) , fromProto-Indo-European *(s)kewH- ( “ to cover, conceal ” ) .
Cognate withDutch schuim ( “ foam ” ) ,West Frisian skuum German Schaum ( “ foam ” ) ,Danish Swedish skum ( “ foam ” ) . Compare alsoFrench écume ( “ scum ” ) ,Italian schiuma ( “ foam ” ) ,Saterland Frisian Skuum Sicilian scuma ( “ foam ” ) ,Walloon schome ( “ scum, foam ” ) ,Lithuanian šamas ( “ catfish ” ) andskanus ( “ tasty ” ) from the same Germanic source. Related toskim
scum (countable anduncountable plural scums
( uncountable ) impurities that accumulates at the surface of a liquid (especiallymolten metal or water).Synonyms: dross impurity impurities cinder scoriae slag During smelting,scum rises to the surface and is then removed by the smelter.
( uncountable ) vegetation (such asalgae ), usually found floating on the surface ofponds These organisms formscum in large quantities.
Thetopmost liquid layer of acesspool orseptic tank . ( uncountable , slang , chiefly US ) Semen [from 1960s] Synonyms: see Thesaurus:semen 1965 Claude Brown ,Manchild in the Promised Land →OCLC page80 :Horse, who was always talking about facts, said, “Man, that can't bescum , ’causescum is white.”
( derogatory , slang ) reprehensible person or persons.Synonyms: bastard see also Thesaurus:jerk People who sell used-up pens arescum , just total low-lives.
layer of impurities
Albanian:makë (sq) f shtrap (sq) m Arabic:Moroccan Arabic:كشكوشة f ( kaškūša ) Bulgarian:нечиста пяна f ( nečista pjana ) Catalan:escòria (ca) f Czech:nános špíny Esperanto:feĉo Faroese:skúm n Finnish:kuona (fi) French:écume (fr) f couche (fr) f mousse (fr) f crasse (fr) f Galician:escoura f escumallo m borra (gl) f German:( foamy ) Abschaum (de) m ( otherwise ) Schwimmschlamm m ( informally, in a vessel ) Rand (de) m Greek:απόβρασμα (el) n ( apóvrasma ) ,απόβλητο (el) n ( apóvlito ) Ancient Greek:λάμπη f ( lámpē ) Ingrian:paska Interlingua:scuma Italian:impurità (it) f Māori:parawai Plautdietsch:Schlekj n Polish:szumowiny pl Portuguese:escória (pt) Russian:( гря́зная ) пе́на (ru) f ( péna ) ,на́кипь (ru) f ( nákipʹ ) ,( plural only ) нечисто́ты (ru) f pl ( nečistóty ) Spanish:escoria (es) f Telugu:తెట్టు (te) ( teṭṭu ) Walloon:schome (wa) f ( locally "home", "chume", "scume" ) Yoruba:èérú
greenish water vegetation
topmost liquid layer of a cesspool or septic tank
person or persons considered to be reprehensible
Bulgarian:отрепка (bg) f ( otrepka ) Catalan:escòria (ca) ,púrria (ca) Czech:lůza (cs) f neřád (cs) m spodina (cs) f Danish:afskum (da) n Dutch:tuig (nl) Esperanto:aĉulo (eo) ,ŝaŭmo (eo) ( also collective ) ,feĉulo feĉo ( also collective ) Finnish:roskaväki (fi) ,pohjasakka (fi) French:ordure (fr) f salaud (fr) m racaille (fr) f drigaille (fr) f ( Louisiana ) Galician:xentalla f gandaiada f cafualla f gafullada f German:Abschaum (de) m Geschmeiß (de) n Greek:απόβρασμα (el) n ( apóvrasma ) ,κάθαρμα (el) n ( kátharma ) Hebrew:חֶלְאָה (he) f ( ẖel'á ) Hungarian:geci (hu) Irish:gramaisc f Jamaican Creole:waste gyal f waste man m Latin:caenum n sentīna f faex f Macedonian:џган m ( džgan ) ,подлец m ( podlec ) Polish:szumowina (pl) f podlec (pl) m wyrodek (pl) m Portuguese:escória (pt) f Russian:подле́ц (ru) m ( podléc ) ,негодя́й (ru) m ( negodjáj ) ,( also collective ) сво́лочь (ru) f ( svóločʹ ) ;( collective: ) отро́дье (ru) n ( otródʹje ) ,отре́бье (ru) n ( otrébʹje ) ,шваль (ru) f ( švalʹ ) ,не́чисть (ru) f ( néčistʹ ) ,сброд (ru) m ( sbrod ) ,шу́шера (ru) f ( šúšera ) ,шантропа́ (ru) f ( šantropá ) Spanish:gentuza (es) f escoria (es) ,canalla (es) Swedish:avskum (sv) n kräk (sv) n as (sv) n jävel (sv) c Welsh:gwehilion c pl
scum (third-person singular simple present scums present participle scumming simple past and past participle scummed
Toremove thelayer ofscum from (aliquid etc.). Toremove (something) asscum . To becomecovered withscum .1769 The Experienced English House-keeper , pages321–322 :Take the smallest Cucumbers you can get, and as free from Spots as possible, put them into a strong Salt and Water for nine or ten Days, or 'till they are quite Yellow, and stir them twice a Day at least, or they willscum over, and grow soft
( obsolete ) scour (theland ,sea , etc.).1485 Sir Thomas Malory , “xiij ”, inLe Morte Darthur SOo by Merlyns aduys ther were sente fore rydars toskumme the Countreye / & they mette with the fore rydars of the north / and made hem to telle whiche wey the hooste cam / and thenne they told it to Arthur / and by kyng Ban and Bors counceill they lete brenne and destroye alle the contrey afore them there they shold ryde (pleaseadd an English translation of this quotation) ( obsolete ) gather together , asscum .1815 The Repository of Arts, Literature, Commerce, Manufactures, Fashions and Politics :A great majority of the members arescummed together from the Jacobinical dregs of former periods of the revolution.
( video games , informal ) startscum orsavescum .
