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chum

 - 10 dictionary results

chum

1  [chuhm] noun, verb, chummed, chum⋅ming.
Use chum in a Sentence
–noun
1. a close or intimate companion: boyhood chums.
2. a roommate, as at college.
–verb (used without object)
3. to associate closely.
4. to share a room or rooms with another, esp. in a dormitory at a college or prep school.
Origin:
1675–85; of uncert. orig.

chum

2  [chuhm] noun, verb, chummed, chum⋅ming.
–noun
1. cut or ground bait dumped into the water to attract fish to the area where one is fishing.
2. fish refuse or scraps discarded by a cannery.
–verb (used without object)
3. to fish by attracting fish by dumping cut or ground bait into the water.
–verb (used with object)
4. to dump chum into (a body of water) so as to attract fish.
5. to lure (fish) with chum: They chummed the fish with hamburger.
Origin:
1855–60, Americanism; of uncert. orig.

chum

3  [chuhm]
–noun
chum salmon.

chum salmon

 
–noun
a Pacific salmon, Oncorhynchus keta, occurring from southern California to Alaska and off the coasts of Japan and Korea, fished commercially and for sport.
Also called chum, dog salmon, keta.

Origin:
1905–10; chum < Chinook Jargon cam mixed colors, spotted, striped < Lower Chinook c'ə́m(⋅) variegated
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To chum
chum 1   (chŭm)   
n.  An intimate friend or companion.
intr.v.   chummed, chum·ming, chums

    1. To be an intimate friend.

    2. To display good-natured friendliness: chummed around with the other teammates.

  2. To share the same room, as in a dormitory.


[Perhaps short for chamber fellow, roommate.]
chum 2   (chŭm)   
n.  Bait usually consisting of oily fish ground up and scattered on the water.
v.   chummed, chum·ming, chums

v.   intr.
To fish with such bait.
v.   tr.
To lure (fish) with such bait.

[Origin unknown.]
chum 3   (chŭm)   
n.  A chum salmon.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
chum

  1. n.
    a pal; a good friend. : We've been chums for years. Went to college together.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

chum  (1)
"friend," 1684, university slang, alt. spelling of cham, short for chamber(mate), typical of the late-17c. fondness for clipped words.

chum  (2)
"fish bait," 1857, perhaps from Scot. chum "food."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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