scum

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scum^¹

/skʌm/

Rhymes with -ʌm

Where it comes from

From Middle English scum, scome, skum, skome, scumme, from Middle Low German or Middle Dutch schūme (“foam”), from Old Dutch *scūm, from Frankish *skūm, from Proto-Germanic *skūmaz (“froth, foam”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kewH- (“to cover, conceal”).

Cognate with Dutch schuim (“foam”), West Frisian skuum, German Schaum (“foam”), Danish and Swedish skum (“foam”). Compare also French écume (“scum”), Italian schiuma (“foam”), Saterland Frisian Skuum, Sicilian scuma (“foam”), Walloon schome (“scum, foam”), Lithuanian šamas (“catfish”) and skanus (“tasty”) from the same Germanic source. Related to skim.

noun scums · scum · skum

uncountable A layer of impurities that accumulates at the surface of a liquid (especially molten metal or water). During smelting, scum rises to the surface and is then removed by the smelter.
Similar: dross, impurity, impurities, cinder, scoriae, slag
uncountable A greenish water vegetation (such as algae), usually found floating on the surface of ponds These organisms form scum in large quantities.
countable, uncountable The topmost liquid layer of a cesspool or septic tank.
US, slang, uncountable Semen. Horse, who was always talking about facts, said, “Man, that can't be scum, ’cause scum is white.”
Similar: baby batter, baby gravy, balljuice, boy juice, cock juice, cock snot, come, cream, creme, cum, cumload, cumshot
countable, derogatory, slang, uncountable A reprehensible person or persons. People who sell used-up pens are scum, just total low-lives.
Similar: bastard, assbag, assbreath, assbucket, asschunk, asscunt, assface, assfag, assfaggot, assfuck, assfucker, asshat

verb scums · scumming · scummed · skum

To remove the layer of scum from (a liquid etc.).
To remove (something) as scum. Some scumd the drosse, that from the metall came; / Some stird the molten owre with ladles great[…].
To become covered with scum. 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 will scum over, and grow soft
obsolete To scour (the land, sea, etc.). SOo by Merlyns aduys ther were sente fore rydars to skumme 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 th
obsolete To gather together, as scum. A great majority of the members are scummed together from the Jacobinical dregs of former periods of the revolution.
informal To startscum or savescum.

SCUM^²

proper noun

abbreviation, acronym, historical Acronym of Society for Cutting Up Men The most extreme position in the late 1960s came from SCUM, the Society for Cutting Up Men, whose manifesto began, […].

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: trash, dross, filthy, filth, dirty, junk, waste, rubbish, dirtbag, rot, decay, lowlife, douche, scoundrel, rascal, imbecile

Translations

Every language

noun layer of impurities

Español	escoria
Português	escória
Français	écume, couche, mousse, crasse
Deutsch	Abschaum, Schwimmschlamm, Rand
Italiano	impurità
Ελληνικά	απόβρασμα apóvrasma, απόβλητο apóvlito
Русский	пе́на péna, на́кипь nákipʹ, нечисто́ты nečistóty

noun greenish water vegetation

Deutsch	Algenteppich, Entengrütze
Italiano	mucillagine
Русский	ти́на tína

noun topmost liquid layer of a cesspool or septic tank

Español	telilla, verdín

noun person or persons considered to be reprehensible

Español	gentuza, escoria, canalla
Português	escória
Français	ordure, salaud, racaille, drigaille
Deutsch	Abschaum, Geschmeiß
Ελληνικά	απόβρασμα apóvrasma, κάθαρμα kátharma
Русский	подле́ц podléc, негодя́й negodjáj, сво́лочь svóločʹ, отро́дье otródʹje, отре́бье otrébʹje, шваль švalʹ
עברית	חֶלְאָה ẖel'á

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MLA

"scum." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/scum. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

scum. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/scum

Chicago

"scum." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/scum.

BibTeX

@misc{scum_2026,
  title = {scum},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/scum},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}