See Also: scum(medicine)
scum(dictionary)
scum(dictionary)
pond scum(dictionary)

scum (iou)



scum noun & verb. ME.
[Middle Low German, Middle Dutch schum (Dutch schuim) = Old High German scum (German Schaum: cf. MEERSCHAUM) from Germanic.]
A. noun.
sing. & in pl. Foam, froth. ME-L17.
a. A layer of dirt, froth, impurities, or other matter, forming on the surface of a liquid, esp. in boiling or fermentation; a film of algae, refuse, etc., on stagnant water; gen. any undesirable surface layer or deposit. LME.
A. Ransome John let the dirty water and the scum..on the surface flow away. A. Desai A ditch in which weeds stood..in mud and scum.
b. Dross rising to the surface in the purifying of a metal, slag. E16-E19.
c. Semen. coarse slang (chiefly US). M20.
a. collect. Worthless despicable people; the most contemptible part of the population of a place, society, etc. L16.
P. G. Wodehouse Don't talk to me about poets! The scum of the earth.
b. A group of such people. L16-E19.
c. A worthless despicable person. L16.
W. Styron Detestable scum that you are..no more civilized than a sewer rat.
Comb.: scumbag slang (orig. US) (a) a condom; (b) a worthless despicable person (also as a general term of abuse).
b. verb. Infl. -mm-.
verb trans. Clear scum from the surface of (a liquid), skim; remove as scum, skim off. Now also, be or form a scum on. LME.
T. Pynchon The water in the vats..lay stagnant and scummed over.
b. Travel or search through, scour, (an area). LME-L17.
verb intrans. Of a liquid: become covered with scum, film over with scum, throw up or produce scum. Formerly also, rise to the surface as scum. L15.
scumless adjective L19.