# scum

Pronunciation: say "SKUM" /skʌm/

## Noun

1. A person, or people as a group, regarded as morally contemptible and worthless. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A very bad person, or group of people, who do not deserve any respect.
   - _Anyone who steals from a children's charity is scum._
   - _The detective swore he would get that scum off the streets for good._
2. The film of impurities that rises and gathers on the surface of a liquid, particularly water or molten metal.
   - Simple: A layer of dirt that forms on top of a liquid, such as water or melted metal.
   - _Workers skim the scum from the molten bronze before pouring it into the molds._
   - _Skim off any scum that rises to the top while the broth simmers._
3. Algae or other greenish water plants, usually seen as a floating layer on ponds.
   - Simple: Green plant growth, like algae, that floats on top of ponds.
   - _Thick green scum spread across the pond during the long, hot summer._
   - _Frogs hid beneath the scum that coated the edges of the old millpond._
6. In a septic tank or cesspool, the uppermost layer, made up of grease, oils, and other light matter that floats on the liquid.
   - Simple: The top layer of the liquid inside a septic tank or cesspool.
   - _The inspector measured how thick the scum had become inside the septic tank._
   - _If the scum in the tank reaches the outlet pipe, it can clog the drain field._
7. Semen; the fluid that carries sperm. *(slang, US)*
   - Simple: Semen, the fluid from a man's body that carries sperm.

## Verb

4. To become covered with a layer of scum.
   - Simple: To get covered with a layer of scum.
   - _If you leave the rain barrel uncovered, the water will scum over by midsummer._
   - _The neglected fish tank had scummed over within a week._
5. To remove the layer of scum from a liquid or similar substance.
   - Simple: To take the layer of scum off the top of a liquid.
   - _The cook scummed the stock every few minutes as it came to a boil._
   - _Scum the syrup carefully, or the candy will turn out cloudy._
8. To startscum or savescum: to restart a game, or reload a saved one, repeatedly until chance gives a result one wants. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: In video games, to restart or reload a game again and again until you get the luck you want.
   - _I scummed the opening for an hour until I got a decent starting weapon._
   - _Some players scum every boss fight, reloading after each bad hit._
9. To remove something from the surface of a liquid as scum.
   - Simple: To take something off the top of a liquid, the way you remove scum.
   - _The smith scummed the dross from the molten iron before casting._
   - _Scum the fat off the gravy before you serve it._

## Verb

10. To scour an area of land or sea, ranging over it in search of something. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To search or move quickly all over an area of land or sea.
   - _The general sent riders to scum the hills for any sign of the enemy._
   - _For years the raiders scummed the northern seas, striking any town they could reach._
11. To gather or collect together, the way scum gathers on a liquid. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To bring things or people together, like dirt collecting on top of water.
   - _Storms scum together driftwood and trash along the high-tide line._
   - _The rebel army had been scummed together from deserters, thieves and runaways._

## Origin

From Middle English scum, scome, from Middle Low German or Middle Dutch schūme ("foam"), from Frankish *skūm, from Proto-Germanic *skūmaz ("froth, foam"), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kewH- ("to cover, conceal"). It is related to Dutch schuim, German Schaum and Swedish skum (all "foam"), to French écume and Italian schiuma, and to English skim.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/scum (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).