

foam
[fohm]
| 1. | a collection of minute bubbles formed on the surface of a liquid by agitation, fermentation, etc.: foam on a glass of beer. |
| 2. | the froth of perspiration, caused by great exertion, formed on the skin of a horse or other animal. |
| 3. | froth formed from saliva in the mouth, as in epilepsy and rabies. |
| 4. | a thick frothy substance, as shaving cream. |
| 5. | (in firefighting)
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| 6. | a dispersion of gas bubbles in a solid, as foam glass, foam rubber, polyfoam, or foamed metal. |
| 7. | Literary. the sea. |
| 8. | to form or gather foam; emit foam; froth. |
| 9. | to cause to foam. |
| 10. | to cover with foam; apply foam to: to foam a runway before an emergency landing. |
| 11. | to insulate with foam. |
| 12. | to make (plastic, metal, etc.) into a foam. |
| 13. | foam at the mouth, to be extremely or uncontrollably angry. |
bef. 900; ME fom, OE fām; c. G Feim

Related forms:
1. froth, spume, head, fizz; scum.
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Foam
Foam\, n. [OE. fam, fom, AS. f?m; akin to OHG. & G. feim.] The white substance, consisting of an aggregation of bubbles, which is formed on the surface of liquids, or in the mouth of an animal, by violent agitation or fermentation; froth; spume; scum; as, the foam of the sea. Foam cock, in steam boilers, a cock at the water level, to blow off impurities.Foam
Foam\, v.i. [imp. & p. p. Foamed; p. pr. & vb. n. Foaming.] [AS. f?man. See Foam, n.]1. To gather foam; to froth; as, the billows foam. He foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth. --Mark ix. 18. 2. To form foam, or become filled with foam; -- said of a steam boiler when the water is unduly agitated and frothy, as because of chemical action.Foam
Foam\, v.t. To cause to foam; as,to foam the goblet; also (with out), to throw out with rage or violence, as foam. "Foaming out their own shame." --Jude 13.Cite This Source
foam (n.)
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Main Entry: foam
Pronunciation: 'fOm
Function: noun
: a light frothy mass of fine bubbles formed in or on the surface of a liquid foamfor contraceptive use> —foam verb
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foam (fōm) Pronunciation Key
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Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Foam
(Hos. 10:7), the rendering of _ketseph_, which properly means twigs or splinters (as rendered in the LXX. and marg. R.V.). The expression in Hosea may therefore be read, "as a chip on the face of the water," denoting the helplessness of the piece of wood as compared with the irresistable current.
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foam
in physical chemistry, a colloidal system (i.e., a dispersion of particles in a continuous medium) in which the particles are gas bubbles and the medium is a liquid. The term also is applied to material in a lightweight cellular spongy or rigid form. Liquid foams are sometimes made relatively long-lasting-e.g., for fire fighting-by adding some substance, called a stabilizer, that prevents or retards the coalescence of the gas bubbles. Of the great variety of substances that act as foam stabilizers, the best known are soaps, detergents, and proteins. Proteins, because they are edible, find wide use as foaming agents in foodstuffs such as whipped cream, marshmallow (made from gelatin and sugar), and meringue (from egg white). The foam used to combat oil fires consists of bubbles of carbon dioxide (liberated from sodium bicarbonate and aluminum sulfate) stabilized by dried blood, glue, or other cheap protein-containing materials. Beer foam is believed to be stabilized by the colloidal constituents present, which include proteins and carbohydrates. Foaming may be undesirable, as in lubricating oils, and its prevention is not always easy. Aqueous foams usually can be broken by treatment with small amounts of certain alcohols.
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